Ely Library: one of the county's libraries that collected £152,000 in total last year for overdue items (Image: Archant)
Those returning overdue books or DVDs to Cambridgeshire libraries last year paid out more than £150,000 in late payment charges.
A Freedom of Information request shows that the total income received last year was £152,592.
“Lending items are set a maximum overdue fee and overdue charges stop accruing when the maximum overdue charge for each item is reached,” says a council official.
The maximum overdue fee varies for different types of stock but the highest maximum overdue fee is £20 for ‘DVD Premium’ lending items.
But that didn’t stop one customer, says the council, forking out £70 in one payment last year for overdue items.
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