A TWELVE-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl was sent a letter from a library, threatening her with debt-collection for an overdue library book.

Tessa Maude, from Ruislip, was horrified when her daughter showed her the letter demanding payment of the £1.20 fine.

Tessa told the Hillingdon Times: "We had received a notice recently regarding overdue books and I returned them two weeks ago and paid any fines.

"There was apparently another book that wasn't returned that day, but I wasn't aware of it as the librarian checked her card and confirmed there was nothing else outstanding."

Tessa's daughter this week received a letter, dated March 1 - addressed to her - saying that if she did not return the book and pay the fine, they may take her outstanding account to a debt collection agency.

The library charges for fines are 4p a day and the total outstanding is now up to a whopping £1.40.

Tessa said: "Luckily, my daughter is the kind of girl who shows me things, but what about other children who may be too worried to show their parents? Or children who may just forget the letter and leave it in their schoolbag?"

She added: "I was really angry at the wording of the letter. My daughter obviously has no means of paying the fine, so I assume as parents they would expect us to pay. However, without a notice sent to us directly, regarding our daughter's fine, how can we be expected to pay or be held liable?"

The Hillingdon Times contacted the library service and asked them why a letter was sent to Tessa's daughter.

Eileen Smyth, acting joint head of libraries service, said: "The library service strongly regrets that a 12-year-old was sent an overdue reminder mentioning the possibility of debt collection action.

"Debt collection action would never be taken against anyone under the age of 18 and we will amend our letters to users with overdue items to make this clear in future."

She added: "We apologise for any distress this has caused and hope that your reader and her daughter continue to use and enjoy the library service."

Tessa added: "I'm happy it has been resolved. I just didn't want any other children have to worry about this happening. Letters like that could frighten some children.

"I am really grateful to the press for assisting us in ensuring the system is changed. This is a positive example of how local media can help to highlight local issues and seek to resolve them speedily."