CLYDEBANK Library was shut on Wednesday for an hour because of a smell of gas.

Council officials said the smell was near the boiler and the centre was immediately closed and an engineer came to shut off the gas supply to allow the building to re-open.

It comes weeks after a planning application was submitted for extensive overhauls to the outside and inside of the library after decades of disrepair.

A West Dunbartonshire Council spokesman said: “We are sorry for the disruption to our library users. Our employees at Clydebank Library smelled gas near the boiler and immediately closed the building.

"An engineer arrived to temporarily cut off the gas supply, allowing the library to safely reopen to the public after an hour. A repair to the boiler was then carried out and full heating restored on the same day."

The library is more than a century old and a 2013 survey found the condition of the roofs, external areas, external walls, windows and doors and mechanical were all assessed as "poor" condition. The internal structure and fittings were only "satisfactory". Overall the building was rated as "poor".