Watching pornography on public computers and racist abuse are just some of the reasons why people have been banned from Richmond’s libraries and leisure centres.

In a Freedom of Information request sent by the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was revealed that 10 people have been banned from the borough’s libraries since 2015, while two have been banned from leisure centres in the same period. 

Seven people have been excluded from all 12 borough libraries since 2015, while Ham Library saw the most exclusions from any one library, with three bans in 2015/16.

Three people had been banned from libraries on two separate occasions. 

Two people were also banned from Sheen Sports and Fitness Centre for “aggressive behaviour” in February 2018. 

Verbal abuse was the most common reason for exclusion, with three instances recorded, shortly followed by racist abuse/hate crime, physical aggression, disruptive behaviour and safeguarding, all of which were recorded on two occasions.

There was one incident of viewing pornography on a public PC and one issue with destruction of property. 

However, while there was only one ban put in place in 2018/19, we are already on track for a record breaking year in Richmond with three exclusions recorded for the year so far. 

A spokesperson for the council said: “The safeguarding of the public and our staff is of the utmost importance to the council. In order to ensure their safety and the safety of the public our staff go through rigorous processes and training. This gives them the ability to ensure that risks are identified and managed appropriately and our facilities remain safe places for all to use.

 “There is a code of conduct for library users that is designed to raise awareness of the standard of behaviour expected.

“Actions will be taken to protect our staff and service users where appropriate including legal action or involving the police where necessary.”