MORE than two-thirds of mobile library stops across Hampshire will be shelved to cut costs this summer.

The county council has cut the number of stops from 1,200 to 365 in a bid to save £600,000.

Every village or small town that currently has a mobile library will still have one but there will be fewer stops.

Among those to go are six in Bishop’s Waltham, five in Colden Common and three in Kings Worthy.

In Winchester, there will no longer be a mobile library at The Valley in Stanmore while Oliver’s Battery will have one stop to replace several.

Care homes will no longer get visits from mobile libraries. For instance Makins Court in Alresford.

The council plans to use more trained volunteers to deliver books to the elderly and disabled, including care home residents.

Three new volunteer co-ordinator posts are to be created.

County chiefs say the current service although highly valued by customers is not good value for money.

Costs have risen while the number of book issues have fallen by 39 per cent over the last five years.

The shake-up will see 15 full-time equivalent posts shed, equal to 50 per cent of mobile library staff. The number of books vans will be slashed from 19 to six.

Library chiefs say mobile libraries will be stocked with new books before the new service starts in July.

More than 2,500 people filed in questionnaires as part of a public consultation which included parish councils.

The mobile library cuts are part of plans to save £55m this year.