Whisper it at the Kop, but libraries are now twice as popular as football in Liverpool. Figures released this week by the city council show that a record-breaking 3.3 million visits were made to its libraries during the past year. This is more than double the 1.6m total possible attendance for every home game at Anfield and Goodison Park during the Premiership season.
Warren Bradley, executive councillor for leisure and culture, said expansion of internet access was a key reason why the city’s libraries were “top of the league”.