Residents of East Sussex who have borrowed books from the county’s libraries are being given until the end of the month to bring back items that are past their due date, free from any financial penalties.

The forgiveness period runs from mid-February through to the end of March, and applies to materials that should have been returned months or even years ago.

According to East Sussex County Council, now presents the perfect opportunity for anyone with outstanding library materials to hand them back to their local branch.

The authority noted that while the majority of items taken out do eventually make their way back, there are certain titles that tend to disappear.

Members of the public are being urged to search their homes for any books that have been sitting there forgotten, so that fellow readers can have the chance to borrow them.

The library service is aiming to reclaim approximately 38,000 titles that are currently outstanding as part of this initiative.

Councillor Claire Dowling, who serves as the council’s cabinet member responsible for libraries, stated that annually roughly 5,000 volumes fail to be returned, and this programme offers a fantastic incentive for people to conduct a thorough search of their properties for any long-lost library items.

She emphasised that there would be no criticism directed at anyone and no charges applied throughout the period – the service would simply be grateful to have the materials back in circulation.

Patrons can drop off returns at whichever East Sussex library is most convenient during normal operating times.

The majority of branches also provide external return slots for items to be left outside staffed hours.