Workington Magistrates Court saved

It is a massive victory for the campaign, spearheaded by the Times & Star and Workington MP Sue Hayman.

More than 3,000 people signed our petition against the move.

The Government said that closing the court on Ramsay Brow would deny people access to justice.

The Ministry of Justice announced the results of its consultation yesterday.

It said: “A significant number of responses referred to the difficulties of travelling due to the rural nature of the area, in particular, the length of the journey and the lack of availability and infrequency of public transport from the more isolated areas of West Cumbria.

“We have explored the possibility of alternative provision in this area, and has concluded that a viable option cannot be identified at the current time.”

It was among 91 across England and Wales earmarked for closure by the Government because they are said to be under-used. Mrs Hayman wrote to Secretary of State Michael Gove earlier this month to tell him that the chaos caused by the December floods proved that West Cumbria needed its own court.

She pointed out that Carlisle’s magistrates court was unusable because of flooding there recently.

Mrs Hayman said: “I am thrilled by the news that we have been able to save our courts, and I pay tribute to everyone who took part in the very active campaign to keep them open.

“We could not have done it without you – my thanks to everyone who signed the petition and lobbied the Government.

“It’s worked and they have listened.

"I am extremely glad that the Government has been forced to go away and think again about closing the court, as it would have been disastrous for our area.

“I am grateful to the ministers at the Ministry of Justice for considering our strong case and acting upon our representations.

“The Government thought you could go up and down between Workington, Whitehaven and Carlisle pretty easily.

“The travel times didn’t meet what the Government’s standards were because of the poor quality of roads and the challenging weather we have.

“The floods really illustrated the points we were trying to get over.

“The damage to the roads and the longer time people would spend travelling show that the county has got to be looked at differently to other areas.

“If the closure went ahead, it would have meant that people – including witnesses and victims – would have to travel either to Carlisle or Barrow for court appearances.”

The Ministry of Justice said that the running costs of the Workington court was around £241,000 for 2014-2015 and its usage rate was around 42 per cent.

While the ministry said the court’s work could be accommodated at Carlisle Magistrates Court, the Lord Chancellor concluded that access to justice outweighed any efficiences to be gained.

Last night, the Government said 64 sites of the 91 courts at risk will close and 22 will change venues.

Gail Inglis, chairman of North And West Cumbria Bench, said: “I’m so excited by the news. “I’ve just been down to the court to tell the staff and they are very happy.

“I can only think that all the different groups in and around Workington that have supported us and worked together, made a strong case for West Cumbria.

It’s a fantastic result."

Celia Tibble, chairman of Cumbria police and crime panel, said: "The Government has listened to us and have realised that West Cumbria is unique in its geography and needs to retain the services locally.

"The campaign by ordinary people saying they couldn’t take it away from the community has probably influenced the decision more that politicians. We just helped make people’s voice heard."

Copeland MP Jamie Reed said: "This is a victory for common sense."