A TOWN'S magistrates' court has closed after its final sitting yesterday.
Cases which would have been dealt with by Chester-le-Street Magistrates' Court will now be dealt with by other courts.
The 1960s court building will remain in use as an administrations office for cases, and the Crown Prosecution Service and police will use parts of the building.
County Durham magistrates' court committee, which took the decision to close the centre, said it had found that courts were being used only 50 per cent of the time and felt most courts had outgrown their premises, as they were built in the 1960s and 1970s, when courts were smaller.
The closure coincides with the reopening of Derwentside Magistrates' Court, in Consett, which has been closed for renovation.
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