New opening hours at a landmark library criticised for its limited availability begin next month.

Brighton's Jubilee Library, in the heart of North Laine, will open for six extra hours on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

The extended timetable is possible thanks to a change in the way the Government pays its share for the library, which it partly funds as a private finance initiative.

The council was offered a different way of receiving the cash over the next 25 years, which gives it £100,000 extra a year, every year.

A survey by The Argus last month revealed Brighton's library opening hours were among the shortest in Britain.

Book lovers have spoken out consistently against opening hours since the facility opened last March.

Deputy council leader and culture spokeswoman Sue John said: "The library is proving to be enormously popular with residents.

"We are very pleased that resources are now available to allow people to spend more time there."

But Keith Taylor, Brighton and Hove Green councillor, said the hours were still too short.

The library is shut every evening after 7pm except Thursdays, when it stays open until 8pm, and is shut on Sundays.

Coun Taylor said: "An increase is good news but we are still well behind the library facilities of most other places.

"We must find a way of offering a library service that befits Brighton and Hove's title of City of Culture."

As well as responding to concerns about opening hours, library managers have hit back at claims the authority has thrown or given away hundreds of books, leaving its stock sorely lacking.

Two skiploads of reading material were sent to the tip last February and thousands were sold to the Hay-on-Wye literary festival during the past 18 months.

Critics have said there are too few books available and managers are too concerned with having "shiny new" stock.

But Tony Miller, the council's director of cultural services, revealed the library's book stock was well above the national average.

He said: "We have more stock on our shelves than the average of all the unitary authorities in the country.

"The average is 231,979, and here in Brighton and Hove we have 309,854.

"We also buy more books per year than the national average - 48,215 compared to 34,283."

Mr Miller said the library was legally required to throw away stock and replace it with new material.

He said: "There is a public library standard set by Government that requires us to completely change and replenish our lending stock every 6.7 years.

"We could not do this if we didn't withdraw stock on a regular basis."

Next week will see the six-month anniversary of the new £14.5 million facility.

It has been a huge success since it opened.

The numbers of visitors has tripled and the number of book loans has doubled.

The Guardian described it as being the envy of library authorities across Britain.