CATHERINE COOKSON is still the most popular author with library users, according to latest figures.
The author, who was born in South Shields, has topped the lending list every year since the Public Lending Right scheme started producing figures in the 1980s.
The latest list shows her books had more than three million loans last year, way ahead of second placed RL Stine, author of the Goosebumps series.
In the North-East, Dame Catherine wrote the top nine most borrowed books with The Desert Crop proving most popular.
Public Lending Rights registrar Dr Jim Parker said he was amazed at the enduring popularity of Dame Catherine, who died in 1998.
He said: "The Cookson phenomenon just keeps going. Three years after her death, she is still miles ahead of the opposition in terms of book loans.
"The fascinating thing is that it is her books, published three and four years ago, that are still as popular as ever.
"This suggests she is developing a new following in the younger generation of library users, and she looks set to remain at the top for many more years."
Dame Catherine wrote more than 90 novels, and in later life she sold 200 books an hour.
Many of her novels were adapted for television and attracted up to 16 million viewers
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