THE Lord Chancellor has ordered an investigation into the performance of a North-East coroner amid complaints of a huge backlog of inquests.

Michael Sheffield, the coroner for Teesside, has already faced criticism from relatives and the deputy chief constable of Cleveland Police over more than 300 pending inquests.

Earlier this month it was revealed that the Prime Minister's office had written to Mr Sheffield asking for an explanation.

Last night, the Lord Chancellor announced that he had written to the Lord Chief Justice asking him to appoint a judge to investigate.

Depending on the report, Mr Sheffield could be disciplined or even sacked.

Lord Falconer is to order a formal investigation into Mr Sheffield's performance, following representations from Vera Baird, MP for Redcar.

She said: "I went to see the Lord Chancellor on my own, supported by letters from the four other Teesside MPs."

Lord Falconer says in a letter to her: "I very much share your concerns about Mr Sheffield's performance."

Mr Sheffield could not be contacted last night.

But only days ago he told The Northern Echo that the backlog had not been his fault - it was because of a lack of experienced staff. This accounted for a gradual increase in the number of outstanding inquests between 1996 to the end of 2000.