FOUR prisoners staged a sit-in on a prison bus after being told they could not smoke in crown court cells.

Three of the remand prisoners, who were being transported from HMP Durham and other detention centres to Carlisle Crown Court, spent seven hours on the bus because they feared being held in non-smoking cells for the rest of the day. The fourth gave up after an hour.

All of the prisoners were due in court to answer drugs-related charges.

The judges heard the cases in their absences and gave the prisoners a stark warning that they would face contempt charges if they failed to appear at subsequent hearings.

"The court will not be held to ransom by prisoners," said Judge Paul Batty.

A spokesman at Carlisle Crown Court said: "The cells have always been non-smoking, so I think that they were just trying to make a point.

"They were all remand prisoners and two of the cases were adjourned to a later date in any event."

The law states that if a defendant is in custody and refuses to come into court, he should not be compelled to do so, either by the use of force or the threat of force.

Officials and lawyers had hoped the men would quickly end their protest, if only because, after a long journey from Durham, they would need to use the toilet.

"We rather hoped nature would take its course," said barrister Russell Edmondson.