BOURNEMOUTH Magistrates' Court will hear its last cases on January 27, it has been confirmed.

The run-down building will close its doors for good with all cases transferred to the newly-refurbished Poole court from January 30.

The 100-year-old listed building currently costs £382,000 a year to run but operates at just 52 per cent capacity.

It is in such poor condition that the decision was made to re-open the Poole court at the Civic Centre instead of making improvements to the Bournemouth court in Stafford Road.

Dorset is now served by just two magistrates' courts - Poole and Weymouth - and one Crown Court in Bournemouth following the closure of Dorchester Crown Court.

It is not yet known what will happen to the Stafford Road court, which sits on the same site as the empty, former police station in Madeira Road.

The adjoining coroner's court is also empty following the service's move to Bournemouth Town Hall.

Bournemouth magistrates' court is the latest to close its doors following a far-reaching review of court buildings across the country.

A spokeswoman for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service said the closure of poor quality buildings will raise £40 million to re-invest in the justice system and save taxpayers £27 million a year.

Maintaining underused and dilapidated court buildings costs the taxpayer £500 million a year but some courts sit for less than half the time available.

"We have a world-leading legal system and are investing over £1 billion to reform and digitise our courts to deliver swifter justice," she added.

"Closing underused and dilapidated court buildings will allow us to reinvest in the justice system and make the best use of technology. This will improve access to justice and improve the experience for all court users, in particular vulnerable victims and witnesses."