Around two-thirds (64 per cent) of solicitors surveyed by the Law Society of England and Wales had experienced delays in cases being heard due to the state of the court within the past 12 months.

Almost half (47 per cent) had cases being adjourned, 26 per cent had cases which had been transferred to a different venue, 25 per cent had cases being conducted remotely and 10 per cent reported ‘other impact’.

Asked about courthouse buildings, 17 per cent considered them as being fit for purpose “to a large extent”, 55 per cent reported they were fit for purpose “to some extent” and 28 per cent reported the court were “not at all fit” for purpose.

Some courts were identified as being poorly maintained, “in a poor state of repair”, “dirty”, “shabby, worn and tired”. Others were considered as being structurally unsound: “the ceilings are falling down”, “the walls are falling in, tiles falling off, the roof leaks”.

A new five-point plan launched by the Law Society calls for investment in court repairs and the wider court estate to allow courtrooms to be “used to their full potential, hearing as many cases as possible and lowering the backlog”.

“Our legal system is world leading, and our court estate should be too,” the report states.

According to the Law Society, the backlog in the Crown Courts stands at over 63,000 cases, while care cases in the family court on average take 49 weeks to be dealt with.