Free community library 'unrecognisable' after fire

A free community library in Cheshire has been left "unrecognisable" by the effects of a fire that police believe was started deliberately.

The small wooden hut at Lyme Green Community Park in Macclesfield allowed people to donate and borrow books, but its contents have been left badly burnt.

Resident Elliot Smith, 31, who has launched a fundraising appeal to replace it, said he was saddened to see destroyed books and blackened shelves.

Cheshire Police said the fire, which was reported at 20:20 GMT on Tuesday, is being investigated as a possible arson attack.

Smith said the library had been in the park for about five years as part of a wider project residents and volunteers.

The library had been damaged before, he said, but previous incidents had been minor enough for volunteers to repair.

Theis time, however, he said: "There is absolutely nothing salvageable. The entire building, it's been torched."

Smith, who has lived in the area for about two years, said he and his partner had previously donated books to the library.

He launched a £1,000 fundraising appeal on Wednesday to replace the structure and its books, with almost £700 raised by the evening.

"We have had an absolute outpouring of support," Smith said, with local bookshops, businesses and independent authors offering to help restock the library.

Smith said he hoped the response would shift attention away from the damage and towards the community's efforts to rebuild.

Cheshire Police appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

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