About one in every four electors in Aldbourne turned out to vote in a referendum to see whether they were prepared to pay a higher council tax to keep their library as it is currently run.

The unofficial poll organised by Aldbourne Parish Council was held on Sunday.

A total of 386 villagers turned out to vote – 26.5 per cent of those eligible.

Of the 386, 283 supported the parish council paying towards the cost of keeping the service run by librarian Trish Rushen, rather than let it be run by volunteers.

There were 102 votes against and one spoiled paper.

Like many of the smaller libraries in the county, Aldbourne library faces cuts in Wiltshire Council funding.

One proposal to save money was to replace Mrs Rushen with volunteers, a system that some other villages are adopting.

The savings proposed by Wiltshire’s cuts amount to about £5,400 in Aldbourne.

It was agreed at the public meeting that this should be met by the parish council, adding about £7 a year to the average council tax bill.