Members of a group occupying Friern Barnet Library will meet to discuss their future tonight as the threat of eviction looms large.

Squatters gained access to the empty Friern Barnet Road building in September and, with the help of community groups and supporters, opened a community library there.

Barnet Council won a possession order for the building before Christmas but the authority has agreed not to enforce it to allow talks over granting the group a licence to run the premises.

The deal means members of the Friern Barnet Community Library have until January 31 to come to an agreement with the authority or they will be evicted.

Alternatively, the group could launch an appeal against the possession order but this must be lodged by January 8, by which time it is unlikely to have come to an agreement with the council.

Members and supporters are due to meet at the library at 7pm this evening to discuss its options.

The council has already stated it will only issue a licence to a legally recognised group or individual.

The occupiers initially failed to give any names on the list of defendants during the court hearing into the possession order in December.

No-one from the library group was available for comment this afternoon but for news on tonight’s meeting, log on to www.times-series.co.uk tomorrow.