Why Winchester Crown Court has been forced to close today - and when will it reopen?
The court was closed yesterday afternoon after a major issue in the building.
Winchester Crown Court has been closed today (Friday, July 17), with no cases being heard in any courtroom.
Judges, barristers, jurors and defendants were asked to leave the building yesterday afternoon (Thursday, July 16), after it was found that the courthouse had lost all access to running water.
While covering a trial in courtroom one, The News heard Judge Paul Dugdale send everybody home for the day, with no way of continuing the case until the problem was fixed.
He told the court that the issue was thought to be unrelated to water mains works taking place nearby.
As the issue continued into this morning, the decision was taken to close Winchester Crown Court for the day. All cases were put on hold, rather than being dispatched to other nearby courts such as Portsmouth or Southampton.
The exact nature of the issue is unknown at the time of publication, but The News understands that the court is expected to open as normal on Monday, July 20.