Wiveliscombe Library users celebrated a well-earned victory today after being told that Somerset County Council would no longer be withdrawing the library's funding.

People living in Wiveliscombe had been due to stage a protest against the library closing this morning following the council's plan to remove its funding as part of a wave of cost-cutting initiatives.

But their anger quickly turned to joy when Somerset County Councillor Tony McMahon told Kay Hoskins, Chairman of Friends of Wiveliscombe Library, that the library would only receive a 20% funding cut and would no longer have to close.

And despite the joy of winning their first battle, Mrs Hoskins said the Friends would now put all their effort into campaigning for Somerset's remaining libraries.

She said: "It's a huge relief that the doors of the library will not be closing because if they did they would never open again.

"All the people campaigning have been working so hard to support us but we're not giving up yet.

"We announced this morning that the library would be staying open and used the chance to announce that we would carry on campaigning for the remaining libraries across Somerset because we firmly believe that all our libraries should be saved."

The council was unavailable for comment.