Readers' letters - July 27

Reducing the business at Chorley Magistrates’ Court started around 15 years ago (MP slams decision to close court, LP July 25).

Removal of the police cells at Chorley had a knock-on effect of transferring all the custody cases elsewhere which reduced the business.

More and more cases were listed at Preston until the majority of the cases, by 2015, were motoring at Chorley.

I predict that the great plan, if there is one, is to have three magistrate courts to cover Lancashire – Blackpool, Preston and one in East Lancashire.

Local justice by local magistrates who knew their area has gone in the vast majority of cases.

It is reported that the average extra travelling time by car will be five minutes.

Travelling by car at 8.30am to attend Preston Magistrates Court for a start at 10am will be the norm, having to get through traffic queues of people going to work.

Finding a parking place in the centre of Preston is not easy and will take time and cost.

I suspect it will take longer than five minutes.

There will be an increase in travel cost at this time of austerity.

With rising crime rates at an all-time high, the courts of the future may have a difficult time accommodating a flood of business to the remaining magistrates courts.

It has been reported by the Lord Chancellor that he aims to save money.

Five years ago, in 2013, the Government had a grand plan to link all NHS Trusts with the Lorenzo IT system which never worked.

This cost the taxpayer £11bn for nothing.

Throughout this period, our local MP has diligently acted on behalf of the people of Chorley to keep our local magistrates court open with various options.

Unfortunately the Justice Department appears not to see the true cost and damage to Chorley and its villages in shutting our magistrates court down.

Paul A. G. Helmn

Retired Magistrate

Chorley

ENERGY

Fracking is a water risk

Millions of households in the North West of England face a hosepipe ban on August 5.

The water company United Utilities said seven million customers would be affected.

According to UK Water Industry Research, a hosepipe ban can reduce water usage by five to 10 per cent, which in the North West would amount to more than 100 million litres a day.

In their Shale Gas Statement of October 2015, United Utilities stated: “The North West potentially holds vast quantities of shale gas.

“We have worked with shale gas operators to understand their potential water usage.

“Even under the most optimistic assumptions for shale gas production in the North West, the water required for hydraulic fracturing would amount to less than one per cent of our current water production.