THEY are the vital tools for studying students, but a Hampshire university has admitted it has lost track of thousands of its library books.

Southampton Solent University doesn't know where 6,126 books are, which is the ninth-highest number of any higher education institution in the country.

The figure has been released as part of a response to a Freedom of Information request that has found universities around the country have raised nearly £50m in the last six years by fining students for overdue library books.

More than 300,000 books are missing nationally, with Bucks New University admitting it has lost some 30,540.