AFTER months of closure and considerable disappointment and frustrtaion among the local community, Stanford-le-Hope's library is finally to reopen - though it will initially only be for one day a week.

Starting on Wednesday (4 August) the library, which houses more than 8,000 books and is a portal to other local services, will be open for six hours a day.

The doors will open to the library on the town's High Street, from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm.

The trial will run on Wednesdays until 8 September. The council has not said what its plans are for the venue after that date.

There have been many calls for the library to be reopened after it was initially closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among those critical of the council for not opening the doors earlier was former librarian Jill O'Connor who said she could not understand why Stanford's library remained closed while others were brought back to life.

The council operates ten libraries across the borough and those at Aveley, Belhus (South Ockendon), Blackshots, Chadwell St Mary, East Tilbury, Grays and Tilbury were reopened earlier this year.

Just Stanford and Purfleet remained closed and for the moment Purfleet's doors are still shut with no notice of reopening given yet.