A Dagenham library will close its doors for the final time on Saturday in a council bid to make savings.

Markyate Library, in Markyate Road, is the second library in the borough to shut this year, following the closure of Wantz Libary, in Rainham Road North in March.

It has not yet been decided what the building, which opened as a library in 1940, will be used for.

The axe has also fallen on Castle Green Library in Gale Street, Dagenham, which closes on March 31 next year.

Barking and Dagenham Council said the library overhaul would save the authority �425,000 in 2012/13 and a further �226,000 in 2013/14.

A decision to close the centres was taken despite campaigners presenting a 100 signature-strong petition to the council.

Posting on webforum streetlife.com, resident Linda H said: “I live near to Markyate Library.

“I used to use it a lot, but found they did not seem to get many new books.

“I probably used it more when my sons were young as their school was just round the corner so we used to go there after school.

“It is a shame it is shutting as the school is still there and I dare say a lot of children still go there, also elderly people used it a lot.”

A council spokesman said: “The council is faced with making some very difficult decisions about how to reduce service costs or in some cases whether to continue to provide those services at all.

“Unfortunately because of this, we have had to make some tough decisions and regrettably this included the closure of Markyate Library.”

No-one will lose their job.