ANOTHER major shake-up of the magistrates courts system in East Lancashire has been criticised by a senior county councillor and a former MP.

Ministry of Justice bosses have confirmed Burnley, Pendle and Magistrates Court will no longer take custody cases from May 1.

Remand hearings and sentencings potentially involving prison terms will then take place at Blackburn, according to the HM Courts Service.

The announcement is a fresh blow for the Parker Lane police station and courthouse in Burnley, after the Lancashire Telegraph revealed police cells there were threatened with closure and CID had been moved to Blackburn.

County Cllr Tony Martin said: “This threatens not only the magistrates court in Burnley but the police station as well and I think it is a really retrograde step.

“What are they going to when they can’t get people to go to Blackburn and they are having to issue warrants to get people to attend?”

Former Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle said: “This is completely outrageous. How long will it be before the shut the whole police station and courts? It is the slow drip, drip, diminishing the criminal justice system in Burnley.”

The decision follows a series of magistrates and county court closures in East Lancashire over the past decade. Rawtenstall Magistrates Court was axed in December 2010, along with Rawtenstall and Chorley county courts.

Last year Accrington’s magistrates and county court sat for the last time, with business transferred to Blackburn and Burnley.

A HM Courts Service spokesman said: “Following a public consultation, we are moving the reducing number of custody cases heard at Burnley Magistrates’ Court to Blackburn Magistrates Court. This change will take place from May 1.

“Ensuring we make the best use of our resources and court buildings will improve access to justice and improve the experience for all court users.”