There are fewer crown court cases waiting for an outcome in Preston and Burnley this year than there were in 2022, new figures show.

The backlog has been cut down by almost 20 per cent, but the figures are still higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

This comes despite a record backlog across England, with the Victims' Commissioner expressing "grave concern" at the new figures.

Severe cuts to the justice system since 2010 have put huge strain on courts and caused backlogs to build up, with the Covid-19 pandemic only making the existing problem worse.

Data from the Ministry of Justice shows there were 1,623 outstanding crown court cases in Lancashire as of September – down from 1,957 a year earlier.

However, this still 54 per cent higher than pre-pandemic backlogs, when there were 1,054 outstanding cases in 2019.

Across England, there were 66,547 outstanding cases in crown courts, up six per cent on the year before and the highest figure since records beganin 2014.

Baroness Newlove, Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, said the figures were concerning and "no victim should be expected to wait years before their case gets to court".

She called for "urgent and creative intervention" to address the backlog.

On average, cases in Lancashire had been waiting 109 days to be dealt with, but 40 cases have remained unresolved for two years or more.

In September 2019, cases in the area were waiting 70 days, while just five had waits of longer than two years.

The Law Society of England and Wales cautioned the "fundamental right to access to justice is at stake without urgent investment into criminal justice".

President Nick Emmerson said the criminal justice system was "withering at the root due to decades of underinvestment and the government’s failure to tackle the crisis".

He said court delays were compounded by a shortage of legal professionals, poor infrastructure and overrun prisons.

The Ministry of Justice said crown courts were now handling more cases than at any point since 2019 – and it is likely the backlog will rise in line with higher caseloads.

The government previously set a target of reducing the crown court backlog to 53,000 by March 2025.

The number of outstanding magistrate court cases – which are generally less serious in nature – has also risen, and currently stands at 353,000 cases nationally.

Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood branded the figures a "new low for this failing government".

She added: "While the government continues to outdo its own failures, it is victims up and down this country that are suffering because of this inept leadership."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "People who break the law must face justice, and these figures show crown courts are now dealing with the highest number of cases than at any point since 2019.

"This is a direct result of our decisive action to let courts run at full throttle – like lifting the cap on the number of court sitting days, keeping Nightingale Courts open and investing more in our buildings to deliver a modern and effective justice system."