A NEW fire alarm at Crown Street library has cost Darlington Borough Council £34,000.

The library, a listed building, has been extensively revamped in the past year. The main entrance was refurbished, and the foyer floor replaced.

But the installation of a sophisticated alarm has caused the £34,000 overspend, which was covered by the council's planned maintenance budget.

A council spokesman said: "The library is a listed building containing a number of valuable items, so it requires a more complex fire alarm system than a standard office building."