Suffolk library ban for person who defecated in sink

Suffolk County Council said there were eight instances in two years of people riding bikes in libraries

Defecating in a sink, violence and riding bikes inside are some of the reasons a council has banned people from its libraries.

Suffolk County Council has handed out almost 170 bans over the past two years.

Verbal abuse and intimidation of staff or customers accounted for 68, while 15 were issued for physical assaults.

A council spokesman said safety was its priority but added banning people was "always a last resort".

Figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed 167 library bans were issued, in the two years to April 2019, for:

• 68 instances of verbal abuse or intimidation of staff or customers

• 38 cases of "general disruption", such as listening to loud music, shouting or swearing

• 23 instances of causing damage to items such as books or furniture

• Eight occasions of riding bikes in a library

• Five drunken behaviour reports

• Four thefts

• Four incidents of viewing or printing inappropriate images on public computers

• One case of racial abuse

• One instance of someone defecating in a sink

Elsewhere, a member of the public received a lifetime ban from the council's Endeavour House headquarters in Ipswich for threatening verbal behaviour to staff.

Another individual was banned from all recycling centres and waste management facilities for at least 24 months for threatening a member of staff at Foxhall Recycling Centre near Ipswich.

"Suffolk County Council takes the issue of banning anyone from our buildings very seriously and this is always a last resort," the authority said.

"However, our primary concern must be for the safety of our staff and other members of the public who may be present."