Workington MP Sue Hayman and the Times & Star have joined forces to save the West Cumbria Magistrates Court in Workington.

The court is the only one in West Cumbria, serving a large and mainly rural area. Closing the court would make it much harder for people to access the justice system.

We have problems caused by a lack of public transport and poor road and rail infrastructure.

Victims, defendants, witnesses and members of the public would all be forced to travel for up to 90 minutes to the court in Carlisle, possibly only to find that proceedings have been adjourned.

Mrs Hayman said: "It has been a challenge to get across to people in London who make decisions on all sorts of things that we are affected by, the state of roads, railways and public transport.

"If you look on Google maps how to get to Carlisle from my house in Ullock, it says it would take me 16 hours because I would have to walk to Workington."

Steve Johnston, Times & Star editor, said: "The closure of Workington's court would be a backward step. As well as the inconvenience to witnesses, victims and others it would also be a blow to the status of the area.

"Newspapers like ours have always reported court proceedings. If the court moves away, it will just make it harder for people here to know that justice is being seen and done.

"We therefore urge people to sign this petition in a bid to keep justice local."

The Government has said that the courts and tribunal service need to be reformed, though it is crucial that this does not happen at the expense of access to justice in West Cumbria.

Please sign the petition here , which will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice, and make your voice heard on these important changes to our local courts system.