A trade union boss has accused Essex County Council bosses of “ripping the heart out of our communities” by threatening to close 25 libraries.

The council says any of the libraries could stay open so long as community members are willing to run them.

Tim Roberts, Unison eastern regional manager, accused the county council of committing an act of “cultural vandalism”.

He said: “Essex County Council is threatening to rip the heart out of our communities.

“If the only thing libraries did was make knowledge available to all, then these closures would be an act of cultural vandalism.

“But the fact is they do so much more, from children’s story times to helping elderly and vulnerable people connect with the world around them.

"And we can’t run a high-quality and accountable library service on goodwill alone.

“If we want our kids to fall in love with reading, we need properly trained, properly paid staff to guide them through the process in properly resourced libraries.

“Instead the council is telling our children that their futures don’t matter.”