THE work of Bury’s magistrates was praised by a government minister during a visit to the town.

Justice secretary Chris Grayling was speaking during a visit to Bury Magistrates’ Court, with Bury North MP David Nuttall.

Mr Grayling said: “Bury is fortunate to have a really strong team of magistrates with committed and dedicated support staff.

“They are all working extremely hard despite the difficult and challenging times to provide a quality service for the local community.”

The visit followed a question in the House of Commons asked by Mr Nuttall, in which he called for magistrates to be given more sentencing powers.

Mr Nuttall said: “It is important we do not take for granted the vital work our magistrates do.

“They have to deal with an enormously varied caseload and the work of magistrates’ courts provides the backbone of our justice system in this country, and the visit has provided an opportunity to meet some of the magistrates and to thank them and their staff for all the work they do.”