THE amount of money spent on hiring interpreters to attend courts in Worcestershire has almost trebled in four years.

Figures obtained by the Worcester News through a Freedom of Information Act (2000) request show the West Mercia Crown Prosecution Service spent a total £9,523 taxpayers money on interpreters and translators between April 2006 and February 2007, compared to £3,394 in the financial year ending March 2004.

However, last year's figure is £3,326 less than the amount spent on interpreters attending courts across the force area between 2005 and 2006.

A request for a breakdown of the costs at each individual court in Worcestershire - including Worcester Magistrates Court, Worcester Crown Court, Kidderminster Magistrates Court and Kidderminster County Court - was not provided by the West Mercia Crown Prosecution Service because it does not hold such information.

The CPS also does not record the number of languages interpreted or translated in these courts, and also does not record how much interpreters and translators are paid when a defendant fails to turn up at court. Chief crown prosecutor for West Mercia Chris Enzor said: "The Crown Prosecution Service is committed to ensuring that the cases are prosecuted firmly and fairly.

"This means that interpreters may be required to translate for prosecution witnesses, for example those with relevant disabilities and language difficulties."

Richard Morgan is commercial litigation partner at Harrison Clark, Deansway, Worcester, as well as a deputy district judge at Birmingham Civil Justice Centre.

He said: "There is a noticeable increase in parties to civil cases and other witnesses attending trials being unable to give evidence without the assistance of an interpreter.

"This is believed to be due to an increase in the number of migrant workers from other parts of the European Union and believed to be now living and working in the UK, particularly in the Birmingham area."

In April, we reported how West Mercia Constabulary spent £238,666 on interpreters last year - £40,029 less than the previous year.

Police said then it was important to use properly trained interpreters so that no evidence or information could be lost or misconstrued.