A MAGISTRATES' court risks closure unless the Government agrees to pay for essential cells says David Moreton, chairman of Cleveland Magistrates' Courts Committee.

Since the closure of the nearby police station, whose cells the court used to use, 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 are awaiting the outcome of the bid."

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

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

He added that there is also a shortage of magistrates, and encouraged people interested in applying for the position to get an information pack by ringing (01642) 261612 for Middlesbrough and Guisborough courts or (01429) 230612 for Hartlepool.