A woman, who regularly hides books in public places with her daughter, was reprimanded by The Lexicon in Bracknell after hiding books around the shopping complex.

Staff at The Lexicon removed the books and told the woman, who has asked not to be named, that she must get prior permission before gifting books in public spaces.

In a Facebook post, she wrote “I am hoping to retrieve the books from the lexicon to gift elsewhere. Keen to do a book hunt as it’s so magical for young children.”

The woman also asked the Facebook community if they knew anywhere else in Bracknell that would be happy to accommodate the book hunt.

She continued: “The books were kindly sponsored and there is no monetary gain for myself. It’s purely a gifting of books to the local community. To encourage children to read.”

Many took to the comment section in support of her scheme, offering up their places of work for book hunts or simply praising her for the lovely idea.

A number of comments also rebuked The Lexicon for disallowing the book hunt.

One comment read: “What a shame that people can’t just do nice things anymore- too much red tape makes the world a lonely place!”

The Lexicon was contacted by The News to comment on the ban on hiding books.

General manager at The Lexicon Rob Morris said: “The Lexicon is the name for the entire town centre area.  Much of the town centre remains a public highway and therefore falls under Bracknell Forest Council. 

“The Avenue, Eagle Lane, Braccan Walk North, and Princess Square are privately owned, and permission is required in advance from The Lexicon management team.

“If anyone would like to undertake such activity, they can contact us via our website to gain the required permission.”