A fifth of trials at a crown court serving Cumbria did not go ahead on their scheduled date last year, figures show.

The Law Society said the record-high proportion of ineffective trials across England and Wales would cause 'unacceptable' delays for victims and warned government underfunding is a key cause.

Ministry of Justice figures show there were 142 trials listed at Carlisle Crown Court in 2021.

Of them, 20 per cent were classed as ineffective – meaning they had to be adjourned to a later date.

However, this was down from 27 per cent the year before.

Trials can be labelled as ineffective for many reasons, including the defence or prosecution not being ready, witnesses being absent or 'overlisting' – which means some cases will only be heard if court time becomes available.

A further 38 per cent trials at Carlisle Crown Court last year were cracked – when the Crown Prosecution Service drops the case or the defendant pleads guilty – and 42 per cent were effective meaning the trial went ahead as planned.

Of the 21,805 crown court trials across England and Wales last year, just 48 per cent were effective – the lowest proportion in a decade.

Meanwhile, the proportion of ineffective trials rose to 23 per cent – the most since comparable records began in 2010.

The Law Society of England and Wales said victims are facing are 'unacceptable' delays and some are being forced to wait years for justice, while potentially innocent defendants are also left in limbo.

Stephanie Boyce, President of the Law Society, said the coronavirus pandemic was one factor, but lack of capacity in the system was another.

She said: "Decades of underfunding and cuts mean there simply aren’t enough judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers left to cover the huge backlog of cases."

Of the 28 ineffective trials at Carlisle Crown Court last year, 10 involved alleged violent offences – the most common type.

This was followed by sexual offences (four) and theft offences.

Parts of south Cumbria are also served by Preston Crown Court

The MoJ said half a billion of investment in court recovery shows it is doing everything it can to deliver swifter access to justice.

A spokeswoman added: “While the unprecedented impact of the pandemic has led to large numbers of court staff and counsel falling ill or being forced to self-isolate, our decisive action has kept justice moving."