A NEW magistrates' court, which has not cost council taxpayers a penny, was opened by the Princess Royal yesterday.

The £2m building, in Peterlee, east Durham, was funded by development company Modus Properties, in an exchange deal for the site of a former courthouse and police station in the town.

Although Peterlee Magistrates' Court has been in operation since April, it was only officially opened yesterday.

After arriving by helicopter at nearby Shotton Airfield, the princess was driven to the complex, where she observed a surprise courtroom drama.

Right on cue, year six pupils from Horden's Yohden Primary School staged a mock court case they had scripted themselves.

The youngsters took on all the roles, from magistrates and solicitors to witnesses and a defendant.

The Princess Royal watched with interest as the pupils performed their play, centred on the case of a young shoplifter.

She then moved on to the business of the day and unveiled a plaque to mark the opening.

Welcoming the princess, bench chairwoman Eileen Anderson described the new courthouse as the first of its kind in the country, which, she said, had not cost a penny of public funds.

After the ceremony the princess, wearing a three-quarter length red and green patterned jacket, with a matching red knee-length skirt, chatted to guests and congratulated the pupils on their courtroom performance.

Excited by the royal encounter, the nine and ten-year-old pupils did, however, express their disappointment that the princess was not wearing a ballgown and diamonds.