THE number of library books across Worcestershire have surged 13 per cent since 2010 - with the county bucking the trends.

New figures from the county council have revealed how the number of books have rocketed to a record 770,159, with the success of the glittering £60m Hive a big factor.

Six years ago the tally of books available in Worcestershire stood at 678,264, and at the time there were fears it would start to fall.

In recent years many cash-strapped councils around the country have closed down libraries, and only last year the new £189 million Birmingham library nearly halved its opening hours in a desperate bid to save cash.

Bosses at County Hall have managed to oversee no closures in Worcestershire due to a range of factors, including getting volunteers to help run some sites and renting space inside buildings to agencies like the JobCentre Plus.

It has also benefitted from a tie-in with the University of Worcester at The Hive, which has been among the busiest libraries in the entire UK since being opened by The Queen in 2012.

The biggest reductions in Worcestershire were the cuts to the mobile library service, which deleted 38 per cent of drop-offs last year and stopped visiting 48 different towns and villages to save £100,000 a year.

Conservative Councillor Lucy Hodgson, the cabinet member for localism and communities, said: "I'm delighted with the way it's gone - we are bucking the trend, and even leading the way with our libraries.

"It's not easy, there are more challenges ahead but we've got imaginative staff who are always looking at more opportunities for income generation.

"We are always listening to people about this, they really care about their libraries."

She also said for a small charge people can either go online or visit their nearest library in person and ask for any of the county's stock of 770,159 titles to be delivered to a particular building for collection.

The book numbers data emerged during a full council meeting after Councillor Peter McDonald, the opposition Labour group leader, asked for an update.

He chose not to offer a view on the figures but in recent months his party has been critical of some aspects of the service, labelling the mobile library reductions an "attack on the over-55s".