HEREFORDSHIRE Council leader Jonathan Lester has called on the Government to bring back justice to the county.

Councillor Lester has written to lord chancellor David Gauke to reconsider the decision by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service that moved remand cases from Hereford to Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court in April this year.

Herefordshire Council unanimously agreed on July 13 that it deplores the transfer of remand cases and asked Coun Lester to call on Mr Gauke, the justice secretary, to right a wrong and return such cases to Hereford.

Coun Lester said in his letter that under the new arrangements some residents could be absent from their families for 36 hours due to the logistics of travel.

He said: “Anyone remanded in custody or having themselves in, for example, on a warrant will have their case heard in Kidderminster.

“Because there is only one van taking prisoners to Kidderminster, those who surrender after 6am are held in a cell until the next day.

“Should they be released without charge they must find their own way home but the logistics of travel to some parts of the county mean that individuals may have been absent from their families for 36 hours.”

He also explained the ‘harsh realities’ faced by residents in such a rural county to make the journey to Kidderminster.

He said: “On behalf of the council and residents of the county, I ask you to reconsider the arrangements that have been put in place and bring back justice to the county.”