DEFENDANTS and witnesses at Hyndburn courts will soon be able to watch television while waiting to appear before magistrates.

Two colour sets are being installed at the Manchester Road courthouse in an effort to make people feel more relaxed.

The move is part of a national initiative and will bring Hyndburn into line with other parts of the county.

Court bosses in Lancashire have decided to spend £2,000 on 14 television sets across the county.

Politicians and officials criticised the plan when the screens first went up at Preston Magistrates' Court. Blackburn has had televisions for some time.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans attacked the move as a waste of money and claimed facilities should be improved for the victims of crime and not defendants.

The initiative was also criticised by solicitors who believe not enough cash is spent on improving their working conditions in courts such as South Ribble.

But Ivan Smith, the chairman of Hyndburn magistrates, has defended the decision.

He said: "The idea is to make our customers feel more relaxed while they are waiting for their court appearance. We will just have to wait and see if it works. If it does make people more relaxed then it has to be a good idea.

"There has been some trouble in other courts but fortunately we do not have that problem in Accrington because we are right next door to the police station.

"You never know, somebody might try to steal the televisions, but for the moment we will just have to see how things go."

Hyndburn court clerk Stephen Johns said: "It is an additional facility that has been provided for the public, which does not make any difference to the facilities provided for the staff."

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