Men are masturbating at public library computer terminals on the Sunshine Coast after using them to download hardcore pornography, it has been revealed.

The Sunshine Regional Council does not employ internet filtering in any of its nine local libraries, where several people have been asked to leave after being caught accessing pornography and performing lewd acts in recent weeks.

Last month, an elderly man was seen downloading hardcore porn in front of children at Maroochydoore public library, and in December last year a 34-year-old man was jailed for two years for possessing child abuse material he had downloaded on public computers in the same venue.

But local councillor Anna Grosskreutz said the situation had escalated in recent weeks, with a the council's Director of Library Services reporting a number of cases of lewd behaviour.

"These people were seen to be masturbating in our public libraries. This behaviour has been verified," Cr Grosskreutz told