MAGISTRATES courts in County Durham have been ranked quickest in the country when it comes to witness waiting times.
Latest figures released by the Lord Chancellor's department show that 71 per cent of witnesses faced a wait of one hour or less before they gave evidence or were released.
This places County Durham top out of 40 counties across England and Wales.
The results came from a snapshot survey taken in June this year of 141 witnesses who were attending court in the county for magistrates cases.
Neighbouring North Yorkshire came bottom of the survey with just 30 per cent of witnesses being dealt with in an hour or less.
On average, 52 per cent of witnesses in England and Wales were seen within one hour or less.
The Government has set all magistrates' courts targets relating to witness waiting times.
The aim is to speed up the system in an attempt to persuade more people to give evidence when necessary.
Bob Whitehouse, chief executive of County Durham Magistrates Court, said: "These figures show the tremendous work which has taken place during the last few years, which is a credit to magistrates, staff and court users.
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