CRIMINAL lawyers are railing against plans to close Merseyside’s "occasional" Magistrates’ Courts sittings.

Merseyside’s Justice Issues Working Group, chaired by Norman Draper, wants to close five of the city region’s courts on Saturdays and Bank Holidays.

The move would save just over £20,000 a year.

But it would see cases transferred from Huyton, St Helens, Wirral, Southport and Bootle, to the central Magistrates’ Court on Liverpool’s Dale Street.

The working group launched a consultation on the issue and are due to discuss it again at a meeting tomorrow. June 17

But Liverpool Law Society’s Criminal Practice Committee objected to the plans on a number of fronts.

It says the move would restrict access to local justice for defendants and their families.

It also fears problems would be caused by the lengthy paper trail needed to transfer cases from court to court. Violent prisoners could be let off because of lost paperwork, or defendants could remain in custody for longer because documents are slow to reach the right court.