THE CLOSURE of Dorchester Crown Court has been confirmed.

It was announced last year that the county town court was one of 11 in the South West being recommended for closure and would be subject to a consultation period.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service has now confirmed that ten of the courts, including Dorchester Crown, will now be closed with only Bath Magistrates' Court spared the axe.

Bournemouth Magistrates' Court is also set to close.

Minister for Courts and Legal Aid Shailesh Vara said the 86 courts that were being closed across the country were used for just over a third of their available hearing time, the equivalent of less than two days a week.

He also claimed: "It will still be the case that after these closures, over 97 per cent of citizens will be able to reach their required court within an hour by car."

However, an investigation by the Dorset Echo revealed that people who need to attend court could face a journey of up to four hours if they have to travel to Bournemouth following the closure of Dorchester Crown Court.

HM Courts and Tribunal Service claims that the use of modern technology will reduce the need for people to travel to court and the government was investing £700million over the next four years to update the court and tribunal estate to make the justice system more efficient and effective.

Mr Vara said: "Court closures are difficult decisions; local communities have strong allegiances to their local courts and I understand their concerns.

"But changes to the estate are vital if we are to modernise a system which everybody accepts is unwieldy, inefficient, slow, expensive to maintain and unduly bureaucratic."

West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin said that it was important that there was help available for those faced with having to travel further to court following the closures.

He said: "We need to modernise the courts; but we will also need to make sure that there is adequate help for those who need to travel further to court.

"We must also press forward with the reforms which will join up the police, the CPS and the courts so that we can minimise the delays and postponements that make life so difficult for all those participating in trials."

The Law Society has claimed that the court closures will "deepen the inequalities in the justice system".

President Jonathan Smithers said: "We are disappointed that the government is pressing ahead with the closure of so many courts.

"The majority of these closures will make it more difficult for a significant number of people to get to court, disproportionately affecting people living in rural areas, those with disabilities and lower income families.

"Combined with increases in court fees and reductions in eligibility for legal aid, many of the closures will serve to deepen the inequalities in the justice system between those who can and cannot afford to pay."

HM Courts and Tribunal Service says it intends to close all scheduled courts within two years.