A COURT has turned around the service it provides and won Government recognition for its efforts.

Three years ago Blackburn County Court, in Victoria Street, was renowned for losing documents, taking 10 days or more to process paperwork and providing a poor service to people involved in civil and family litigation.

But following a programme of training for the 23 staff and consultation with users the court has won a Government Charter Mark for its excellence. Manager Judith Hodgkinson, who took the helm 18 months ago, said: "Staff have done a brilliant job and most of them seem happier here now. We used to have a really high turnover.

"We provide a lot of different services and are a major centre for family law, so staff training was vital as many people cover more than one area."

The acid test for the Charter Mark award was when a government inspector visited the court earlier this year to spend a day monitoring all the activity and interviewing staff and users.

Mrs Hodgkinson said: "It was quite a nerve-racking experience, but fortunately a lot of people think we're doing really well compared to a few years ago. The way the court works has been completely turned round.

"We asked people what they thought we should be doing better and responded to what they wanted. I'm really pleased with how well we've done."