A MAGISTRATES' court risks closure unless the Government agrees to pay for essential cells, according to a committee chairman.

David Moreton, chairman of Cleveland Magistrates' Courts Committee (MCC), said the future of Guisborough Magistrates' Court depends on the success of a bid to build cells for defendants.

Since the closure of the nearby police station, whose cells the court formerly used, it has faced restrictions on the type of cases it can hear.

Mr Moreton said: "It's very difficult to hear cases involving people who may be taken into custody.

"If we held prisoners in the police vans, it would be a breach of human rights. We have applied for funding to build a cell complex on the court site and we are awaiting the outcome of the bid.

"We are striving to ensure that we get the funding to keep the courthouse open."

Mr Moreton said people should not be expected to travel long distances to have their cases heard.

"We don't believe it is reasonable for the people of east Cleveland to have to come into Middlesbrough," he said.

In its annual report, released yesterday, the MCC cites claims of unfair treatment under a flawed funding system.

The report shows that in the past financial year, the money allocated by the Lord Chancellor's Department made Cleveland MCC the fifth most poorly funded of the country's 42 Magistrates' Courts Committees.

While its courts in Middlesbrough, Guisborough and Hartlepool handled 1.6 per cent of the national workload, they received only 1.2 per cent of the budget.

Mr Moreton said that although the MCC has been able to secure top-up grants from a hardship fund, it had been a struggle to meet Government targets for waiting times.

"Fortunately, we have been able to keep the waiting times for cases being called within the national guidelines, but we wanted to improve on them," he said.

"At the moment, people can wait for up to two hours, and that's not reasonable."

Mr Moreton said there is also a shortage of magistrates, and encouraged people to apply for an information pack. They can ring (01642) 261612 for Middlesbrough and Guisborough courts, or (01429) 230612 for Hartlepool.