LIBRARIANS were stunned when a customer returned a book - almost 55 years late.

The novel, titled The Unnatural Behaviour of Mrs Hooker, was due back at Darlington Library on December 3, 1948.

It had been lying in a battered old tea-chest gathering dust for years before it was discovered this week.

The box was in a garage in Stanhope, County Durham, and was only found when the couple, who have lived there for more than 40 years, were preparing to move house.

The couple's son, who did not want to be named, said: "My dad said I could look through his old books and take any that I wanted.

"When I went into the garage I saw this book which is in pretty good nick, but with the spine coming off.

"When I opened the front cover and saw the library form I couldn't believe my eyes - it had been borrowed in 1948 and never returned.

"I was a bit worried about taking it back because I thought I might get fined thousands of pounds as it was so late."

The book was written by little-known author Eileen Marsh who began publishing children's air-adventure stories in 1936.

After the Second World War, she wrote 14 novels for women and a series of religious books until her death of a cerebral haemorrhage in 1948, the year that the book was borrowed from Darlington.

At that time, library rules stated: "The borrower must return each volume lent within 14 days and shall be liable to a fine of one penny per week or portion thereof for each volume lent if not returned within that period."

That would mean the borrower should be liable to a fine for the princely sum of £28.32, but library chiefs said they would be prepared to declare an amnesty in this case. However, it is in poor condition and will not be going on loan again.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said: "It's really public spirited of this gentleman to bring the book back.

"Our records go back quite a considerable way, but certainly not as far back as 1948 so there's no question of him being fined.

"We don't like fining people in general, but we do want them to bring books back so that other people can borrow them."