HIGH Court judge Sir Anthony Hughes paid tribute to the work of magistrates when he officially opened the new court complex in Kidderminster on Monday.

Sir Anthony, who sits in the Family Division, said: "This is a splendid new place, but of course the magistrates service is not about buildings but about the work that is done in them.

"The vast majority of criminal justice work is shouldered by magistrates and we are indebted to those who carry out this public service."

He pointed out the system depended on a ready supply of new people willing to take on the role and thanked employers for allowing employees time to serve as magistrates.

Sir Anthony urged more employers to encourage suitable candidates to come forward and went on: "We need as broad a spectrum of magistrates as it is possible achieve."

The new magistrates complex, off Comberton Hill, is Britain's first to built under the Private Finance Initiative where a private consortium builds and runs the building, leasing it back to the service.

The complex has been part-funded by Worcestershire and Herefordshire county councils and the Lord Chancellor's Department.