PROTESTERS gathered outside a Southampton library to encourage people to sign up to a campaign to save it from closure.

Families joined community leaders outside Burgess Road library to add their names to a petition in a bid to keep the centre open in the face of cuts from Southampton City Council.

Scores of people signed up to the Save Our Libraries campaign, which is being spearheaded by library users Wendy Leeks and Sam Goold.

The protest comes after the news that the axe could fall for five Southampton libraries while 300 jobs are also at risk in order to save £31 million.

Hampshire TV wildlife expert Chris Packham has already joined the battle to save the libraries and now others are joining the protest.

Mrs Leeks said: “Burgess Road is very much a community library. It’s very important. Children in this area, particularly from the Flowers Roads estate, as well as the overseas students in this area rely on this library.

“This library serves the community in all sorts of ways.”

One of the protestors, Joan Morrell, said the closing down of libraries would have a knock-on effect for generations.

She said: “I think the closing down of libraries is going to affect children’s education. At the moment a lot of schools take children to the library to get them to know about libraries and get them reading.

“If the libraries go, where do the children go?”

Parents Sansoka and Samangi Kumara bring their two boys Ranuga and Thehan to the Swaythling library every weekend.

Dad Sansoka said that seven-year old Raunga’s reading and writing skills are improving because of the books at the library.

He said: “We use the library every weekend. For Ranuga it’s the best day of the week. He really loves reading. It’s really depressing that they’re going to close the libraries.

“I don’t know what the alternative plans are, this library is quite convenient.

Grandmother Fiona Thompson said she was “appalled” that the libraries could potentially be shut.

She said: “I have been using libraries for ever. I do use this one occasionally with the toy library. I hate the Tory cuts that have made it necessary. I blame the council less than I blame the Tory government.

“I have seven grandchildren. The oldest one is not 26 but they’ve all been brought up going to the libraries.”