A CORONER whose backlog of unfinished inquests sparked a judicial investigation was last night told: "It's time to go."

Teesside MP Dari Taylor called on Michael Sheffield to retire so a replacement can be appointed to clear up the outstanding cases.

Mrs Taylor spoke out as concern mounted over the length of time it has taken the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, to decide on Mr Sheffield's fate.

Lord Falconer appointed circuit judge John Milford last July to investigate allegations that inquests were taking two years.

Judge Milford's findings were given to the Lord Chancellor in December, but he has still to decide what will happen.

Five Teesside MPs - Mrs Taylor, Vera Baird, Dr Ashok Kumar, Stuart Bell and Frank Cook -have written to Lord Falconer demanding the recommendations are made public immediately.

Mrs Taylor said: "I am not anxious any more, I am just angry about this unacceptable situation, where we have constituents whose loved ones have died having to wait an inordinate amount of time to discover the cause."

Redcar MP Miss Baird said: "I am hoping the fact that five of us have written will have some impact.

"I realise this might not be at the top of Lord Falconer's agenda, but it is top of ours."

A spokesman for the Lord Chancellor's Department said the inquiry findings will be published in the near future.

But Mrs Taylor, MP for Stockton South, said: "I feel that the concerns I have expressed are being deemed as irrelevant and not seen as important enough for a Government department to sort it out."

Mr Sheffield, who has been Teesside Coroner for more than 30 years, was criticised by MPs and grieving families when it emerged last year he had a backlog of 200 inquests.

He said a shortage of experienced coroner's officers had cased the delays and asked for more money from Cleveland Police to ease the problem.

Mrs Taylor said: "Mr Sheffield has had a long professional life, but once we are into our 70s, there is an inevitable sense that retirement beckons.

"I would have thought that would be the inevitable outcome, and every single one of us wants that to be done with dignity, but we are ending up in what I consider to be a mess.

"I do not feel as though I am respecting his professionalism any more, but this is now not about the dignity of Mr Sheffield's office, it is about the distress my families are facing."

Mr Sheffield was unavailable for comment last night.