Falling ceiling tiles force Library of Birmingham to close

Exterior of the Library of Birmingham, where ceiling tiles crashed to the floor last night Credit: PA

Readers in Birmingham's flagship £190 million library were forced to leave early on Tuesday night after ceiling tiles fell to the floor.

Three tiles came loose and fell at around 5.30pm yesterday, and those inside were ushered away from the reading areas an hour and a half before the library's normal closing time of 8.00pm.

The Library of Birmingham was open again as normal today, after the remaining ceiling tiles were declared safe.

Job seeker Robert Burley, 52, of Sparkhill, Birmingham, said people were "pretty miffed" at having to leave the library unexpectedly.

He said:

Natural light pours in through the top Credit: Christian Richters/PA

Brian Gambles, director of the library in Centenary Square, said:

The unexpected closure came just days after it was revealed tens of thousands of books have been left out of reach over health and safety fears, as the shelves are too high for the equipment that is currently in place.