Record numbers of postponed trials are set to cause "unacceptable" delays at Winchester Crown Court, a leading law association has warned.

This comes as figures show one in nine trials at the court did not go ahead on their scheduled date last year.

The Law Society said the record high proportion of ineffective trials across England and Wales means victims are being forced to wait years for justice, while potentially innocent defendants are also left in limbo. It blames government underfunding as a key cause for the backlogs.

Ministry of Justice figures show there were 213 trials listed at Winchester Crown Court in 2021.

Of them, 11 per cent were classed as ineffective – meaning they had to be adjourned to a later date.

However, this was down from 12 per cent the year before.

A further 22 per cent of trials at Winchester Crown Court last year were cracked – when the Crown Prosecution Service drops the case or the defendant pleads guilty – and 67 per cent were effective meaning the trial went ahead as planned.

Of the 24 ineffective trials at Winchester Crown Court last year, seven involved alleged violent offences and drug offences – the most common types.

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