THE closure of court houses is causing concern for coroners who are facing increasing difficulty finding suitable venues to hold inquests.

North Yorkshire has already seen ten of its court houses close in the last seven years and a question mark hangs over the future of a further three.

The loss of the courtrooms has left coroners fighting for the limited availability of the handful of courts that remain.

Often inquests are held in rooms of civic buildings, including County Hall in Northallerton, and The Galtres Centre, in Easingwold.

Michael Oakley, coroner for the eastern side of the county, said that closing courts in towns such as Thirsk, Easingwold and Bedale, is causing him increasing problems.

He said: "About five years ago getting a court at short notice was not a problem. Now, if we have to organise a jury inquest we have to look a long time ahead."

At a recent inquest the relatives of the deceased felt unsettled in the formal and grandiose surroundings of County Hall.

Mr Oakley said the position was unlikely to improve.

"We are struggling to get into court houses and while alternative locations are very accommodating, they are sometimes inappropriate for inquests."

In the eastern area, Mr Oakley relies heavily on the use of Pickering Court - a court that the Magistrates' Court Committee has earmarked for closure.

In his 24 years experience Mr Oakley has yet to delay an inquest due to lack of a venue, but it is a problem which he fears may happen soon.

The Magistrates' Courts Committee closed the smaller courts because of a lack of facilities for people attending, low usage and a lack of efficiency.

A spokesman for the committee said: "We are making the best use of our resources.

"We decided there is a definite need for at least five court houses in the county and these will be Northallerton, York, Scarborough, Harrogate and Skipton."

The future of the court house in Richmond remains uncertain, and an appeal has been lodged by North Yorkshire County Council to the Lord Chancellor against its closure, and against the closure of courts at Pickering and Whitby.

A spokesman for the Lord Chancellor said: "The appeal will be decided by the courts minister Yvette Cooper. The process is at an early stage and needs very careful consideration."