A water leak at the Louvre has damaged hundreds of books – just weeks after jewels worth £76m were stolen from the famous Paris museum.

The Louvre's deputy administrator Francis Steinbock told French broadcaster BFM TV the leak affected one of the three rooms of the Egyptian antiquities department's library.

He said staff have identified "between 300 and 400 works" that have been damaged, adding that "the count is ongoing".

The volumes lost were "those consulted by Egyptologists but no precious books", he added.

Mr Steinbock also acknowledged the problem had been known for years and said repairs were scheduled for September next year.

The leak, which took place last month but has only been revealed today, underscores concerns over the deteriorating state of the world's most-visited mu

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