Decision is made to close court

County Durham Magistrates' Court Committee has decided to close Chester-le-Street magistrates and disperse cases between the three remaining courts in the north of the county - Peterlee, Consett and Durham City.

The court's administration offices will remain open and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police will move into the premises.

Justices chief executive Bob Whitehouse said the last court sitting will be on March 31.

He said: "The courts committee has decided to close Chester-le-Street court rooms, but they are going to use the offices with the police and CPS as a criminal justice centre."

The committee signalled its intent in May, but the decision has now been signed and sealed following a public consultation.

The move has not been welcomed by the Public and Commercial Services Union, (PCS), one of the unions representing court staff.

A spokesman said: "We are against all closures and we would like to see a continued court presence in the town.

"It's part of a bigger pattern because at the moment the Government is looking at all kinds of closures and amalgamations."

Keeping all four courts open was not an option for the courts committee, which found the courts were being used only 50 per cent of the time. It also felt most of the courts had outgrown their premises, as most were built in the 1960s and 1970s when courts were smaller.

Money saved from the closure of Chester-le-Street will be used to update existing courts.

Proposals to close either Consett or Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Courts were met with strong protests when proposed last year.

The idea was eventually dropped because they served rural areas with little public transport, leaving either Chester-le-Street or Durham court facing the axe.

The sites are only six miles apart and were seen to be better served by bus and rail routes. The only body that can officially object to the closure is the building's owner, Durham County Council, which is not expected to protest.