A FORMER World Cup referee has ended 21 years as a magistrate.

The move comes just weeks after Mr Pat Partridge quit as chairman of a prison board of visitors.

At the time, Mr Partridge said he was leaving his post with Holme House prison near Stockton after disagreements with colleagues.

He says he is standing down as a JP to spend more time with his wife, Margaret.

But the retired farmer from Cockfield has offered to have his name on a magistrates' reserve list.

Mr Partridge, a member of the Teesdale and Wear Valley bench, said the two resignations were not connected.

"When my wife retired earlier this year, we agreed I would see about spending more time together," he said. "All I want is some privacy."

Mr Partridge, who is aged 67, is a former international soccer referee who officiated at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. He is president of Cockfield United FC