Anger as Black Country libraries continue to stock work by paedophile Rolf Harris
The works of disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris will remain freely available to borrow from libraries in some areas of the Black Country after council bosses refused to pull them from the shelves.
Many of his books and CDs line the shelves of libraries across the region – and some council bosses have provoked anger by refusing to ditch the 84-year-old's work.
Harris' books, including his 2002 autobiography Can You Tell What It Is Yet? and the 2010 bestseller he wrote about his dog, Buster Fleabags, can be loaned from more than 40 Black Country libraries.
A Bilston Library user, who asked not to be named, said he was 'disgusted and outraged' after seeing a book penned by Harris on display in his local library on Mount Pleasant.
"I was shocked to see it there after all that has gone on," he said.
"I can understand books being written about people who committed horrific crimes, but this is something he has written himself.
"I think it's disgusting this sort of offensive material is on show for anyone to see.
"The council should immediately remove his books from all libraries."
What do you think? Should libraries remove all works by Rolf Harris? Have your say in the comments below.
But Councillor Elias Mattu, Wolverhampton City Council's leisure boss, said the authority had no plans to censor Harris' work.
"The book was not on a display arranged by the library or any member of staff – and this is the case across all Wolverhampton libraries," he said.
"While we appreciate the concerns raised by the visitor given recent events, we have no plans to remove books featuring Rolf Harris.
"All our libraries feature a number of books on people who have committed serious crimes throughout history and continue to be used by our lenders."
Another outraged library user, Chris Dyke, came across a copy of Harris' Best of Rolf Harris CD while he rooting through the shelves at Dudley Library.
"It is an absolute disgrace," said the 40-year-old health and safety officer from Dudley.
"What he has done is sickening to any normal person. It is just not right that his books and music are on show in a public library. It is offensive to the victims."
Councillor Hilary Bills, Dudley's cabinet member responsible for libraries, said items including Harris' autobiography and a CD would remain available in the borough's libraries.
"There is also one children's fiction title in stock and this will be removed from the shelves," she added.
Bosses at Sandwell Council said they would be reviewing customer feedback before deciding whether to remove Harris' work from libraries across the borough.
Deputy leader Cllr Mahboob Hussain, said: "We are always willing to listen to customer feedback about our services.
"I will see what people's views are and then make a decision."
Last year entertainment retailer HMV removed stock featuring twisted Lost Prophets singer Ian Watkins from its 140 stores after the 35-year-old was convicted of child sex abuse.
But other stores, such as online giant Amazon, continue to sell the band's output.
