Sandwich Library Guild has received an apology for the lack of communication surrounding the library refurbishment.

Margaret Simpson, chairman of SLG received a letter from Gary Cooke, Kent County Council cabinet member for corporate and democratic services apologising for difficulties with communication which led to the refurbishment being halted by nesting seagulls.

In his letter, he said: “I fully accept that there are areas with this project where KCC could have both listened and communicated better with Sandwich Library Guild members and the public.

“I would like to apologise for this and assure you that we will do better at communicating next time, which will both help to foresee issues such as nesting gulls, and also help to keep everyone informed during the works.”

During inspections, Mr Cooke said that no evidence of the gulls was picked up.

He added: “Gull droppings are present on many seaside buildings and do not mean that they are nesting. However if library staff were aware of the nesting birds then we should have communicated better to find this out from you.”

He also claims the nesting gulls did not affect the overall time it took to complete the work, which included roofing works as this was subject to weather conditions.

The SLG has said the timing of the refurbishment could have been worked out better so as not to keep the library closed for five months but the group is pleased with the end result.

Mr Cooke said: “In a time of financial difficulty it is pleasing to know that the £140,000 used to renovate the Sandwich library has been well received.

“I would also like to assure you that our contractors will leave the library garden in a good standard, comparable to how they found it.”