The amount of time and money needlessly being wasted by our courts is becoming so ludicrous it could end up threatening the whole judicial process.

Now, I realise local newspapers have been forced to cut resources in recent years and this has been blamed for a reduction in court coverage. But I still try very hard to get my reporters covering court cases as much as possible.

However, the outdated and outmoded practices of courts mean more and more time is lost and money wasted. And, nothing changes because it would not benefit members of the legal profession to sort out the shambles.

Put bluntly, allowing this chaos to continue puts more money in the lawyers’ pockets. If this continues, I will simply not be able to justify sending my reporters to court any more and that bastion “Justice must be done and must be seen to be done” will be one step closer to being lost forever.

Lord Justice Leveson, our third most senior judge, has set out plans to “streamline” the “inefficient, time consuming and...very expensive” justice system.

So, will anything actually be done? Sadly, I doubt it.

I suspect the whole sorry, outdated, inconsistent, incestuous process will continue unabated. The only difference will be that it goes on without being scrutinised.

Many newspaper editors have already stopped sending reporters to cover courts. News Shopper is in the minority, but I am rapidly reaching the point where I too will have no choice. Our courts must be reformed and it must happen soon.