Wrexham court tree dispute: New cells to be built

The court is having to turn cases away because it has no facilities to hold people securely

A town's magistrates court will hear cases again after it was agreed new cells will be built.

Wrexham Magistrates Court had been using cells at the nearby police station until it closed in January.

Custodial cases have since been dealt with 10 miles (16km) away in Mold.

But HM Courts and Tribunals said funding had now been approved and cases should be held in Wrexham again by late 2020.

The town's MP Ian Lucas had previously said building a new custody suite in Wrexham could be hampered by a preservation order on nearby trees.

Mr Lucas said agreement had now been reached over the trees and welcomed the decision.

He added that it had been "essential to ensure that, in a time of budget cuts, Wrexham would not lose its cells permanently and could, in the long-term, retain its status as the main court centre locally."