130 libraries in the capital face axe in spending cuts

It means hundreds of thousands of regular borrowers are likely to see their local branch shut - restricting access to the "civilising" impact of literature, as well as learning facilities and free use of the internet.

Critics condemned the cuts to a service that was once the envy of the world, and is still the main source of books for children and the elderly.

Sir Andrew Motion, the former poet laureate and a novelist and biographer, told the Standard: "Libraries gave me my life. They are places you go into to discover yourself and the world. They are a vital part of every community. They provide the cultural and spiritual life and are human and humanising.

"They are a crucial part of London. It is an unacceptable soft option to close them; it would be a huge mistake for any politician to think there would not be irreparable damage.

"Libraries are an emblem of the values of civilisation and learning. They provide avenues of learning, and of course today the breadth of things offered in libraries goes far beyond just books."

Official figures show there are 52 million visits to London libraries every year - seven per person - and 95 per cent of people live within a mile of one. Londoners borrow about 40 million books a year and more than seven million CDs and DVDs.

But councils including Lewisham, Wandsworth, and Hammersmith and Fulham have already said some will have to close. Others are reviewing the service as they decide how to make the 27 per cent savings imposed by Chancellor George Osborne.

Only one borough, Hillingdon, has said its libraries are definitely safe.

Authorities such as Birmingham, Leeds and Somerset say that between a quarter and a third of libraries will shut. If, as expected, London follows suit, as many as 130 out of 383 could be axed with hundreds of staff losing their jobs. Lewisham has identified five closures at Blackheath, Sydenham, Grove Park, New Cross and Crofton Park. Mayor Steve Bullock will decide which ones to recommend on November 17. Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in protest.

Lewisham must find £60 million savings over three years. The closures would save £800,000 a year.

Wandsworth has said it will consult on two options: shut six of its 11 libraries or close one and slash the opening hours of the other 10.

Hammersmith and Fulham has said it will shut Barons Court library and its mobile library service.

A spokesman for London Councils said: "Boroughs don't want to have to close libraries. They will do all they can to protect frontline services. But the cuts are so significant they have to prepare for worst-case scenarios."

Former Waterstone's managing director Tim Coates, chairman of the Libraries for Life for London campaign, said huge savings could be made without closures - by transferring responsibility to the Mayor.

He said: "It costs £200 million to run London's libraries and of that only £11 million is spent on books. You could save £50 million by handing them to the Mayor's office. There are currently 33 sets of management. It is a complete waste of money."