TWO schoolchildren were left terrified after being locked inside a pitch black library in Wirral after staff went home for the day.

Ten-year-olds Amber Piercy and Millie O’Reilly, from Wallasey, had gone to Seacombe Library on Tuesday afternoon when they found themselves trapped inside with no way of getting out.

It took around 30 minutes for the Somerville Primary School pupils to be rescued after they alerted Amber’s mum Kerry.

She told the Globe: “Amber said she was going out to play with Millie and might pop into the library. I told her to be back by 5pm but I got a text message from her at 5.05pm saying ‘Come and help us we are locked in the library’.

“I then got another one asking if I was there as they were scared because all the shutters were down and the alarms were going off.”

The girls had been in the library’s toilets when they were seemingly locked in.

Kerry added: “They came out of the toilets and the alarms were going off and they were in pitch black darkness.”

Shortly after arriving at the library on Liscard Road, Kerry – who had contacted Merseyside Police - was joined by a community patrol officer.

“We had to wait for the key holder to come and unlock the library – the girls were locked in for around 30 minutes.”

Thankfully, both girls were unharmed in the incident and the Globe understands a representative from Wirral Council has phoned to apologise.

Mum Kerry added: “Amber is alright, she came outside laughing because I phoned her on her mobile when I was outside to tell her not to panic and that someone was coming to get her out.

“I’m just glad she had her phone with her. She asked for a mobile for her birthday in June and I didn’t agree with a 10-year-old having one at first but I’m so glad we got it for her otherwise we wouldn’t have known where she was until the morning.

“We would have had the police out searching all night – Millie’s mum was walking the streets looking for her as Millie didn’t have a phone with her.”

A spokesman for Wirral Council told the Globe the incident is being taken “extremely seriously” and will be looked into in full.

The spokesman added: “We will be speaking to all library staff to reinforce ‘good housekeeping’ around closing buildings, and to ensure that this does not happen again.

“We will be speaking to both girls and their parents to make sure they have suffered no ill effects.”