'We wanted to send only one short message so getting the wording right and removing duplicate messages was crucial," he said.Morris said the introduction of the SMS service has proven "rather successful".

"Library customers love the service and our library items are getting greater turn over," he said.

He said costs have also been cut because fewer letters need to be mailed.

Morris is confident the council will continue to look for additional areas where the technology can be used.

Transport is another sector where uptake has been strong. Courier company Business Parcel Express (BPX) uses SMS to inform drivers of jobs in real time.