Keith Richards could be slapped with a £20,000 library fine.

The Rolling Stones star admits he still has overdue fines for books he borrowed and failed to return to his public library in Dartford, Kent, South East England, dating back right back to his early teens but with an estimated fortune of £175 million, the legendary rocker will have no problems coughing up.

Keith, 69, said: ''I've still got overdue fines from about 50 years ago. They must be astronomical by now!''

The guitarist confessed his favourite place as a youngster was the library because it would provide him with peace and quiet whilst indulging in heaps of information he was interested in but also claims it was the only time he'd happily follow rules.

Keith - who is joined in the band by Sir Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts - explained: ''To me it was a place where you get a hint there was somewhere called civilisation. It was the only place where I would willingly obey the laws, like silence. It was somewhere I could find out about things I was interested in.''

A receptionist for Dartford Library said: ''For fines going back to 50 years it's going to be tough to work out exactly how much is owed. We'd have to check the archives. Usually the biggest fines we issue are around 100.''