More than 20 criminal cases due to be heard by city magistrates were unable to go ahead on Monday following a fire over the weekend.

At least 22 cases were listed at Norwich Magistrates Court but none of them could be heard as the court at Bishopgate, Norwich was closed all day.

Fire crews from Sprowston and Earlham were called out to the magistrates court shortly before 11pm on Saturday night (April 2) to reports of a "commercial building fire".

Crews used breathing apparatus and a thermal imaging camera to deal with the fire, which is believed to have broken out in a maintenance room.

A spokesman for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) said: "Norwich Magistrates’ Court was temporarily closed due to a small fire in a maintenance room and is scheduled to reopen tomorrow (April 5).

“All urgent cases are being heard in nearby courts to minimise delays.”

A Norfolk County Council spokesman, speaking on behalf of the fire service, confirmed fire crews attended on Saturday night and were on scene until around 2.43am.

Dave Foulkes, a solicitor at Belmores in Norwich, said he was "very sorry about the closure of the court" and was hoping it would be open again "as soon as possible".

He said: "We want cases to carry on going, not be delayed."

Mr Foulkes said some of his cases due before the court on Monday will next be listed on June 1.

It is understood that urgent cases, be they overnight arrests or youth matters, went ahead via videolink at other court centres, including Great Yarmouth and Ipswich.

The fire at Norwich Magistrates Court comes just days after Manchester Crown Court had to be evacuated following a fire alarm activation on Thursday (March 31).

The alarm went off at around 11.50am and people inside were told to leave the building, which sits in Crown Square in Spinningfields in Manchester city centre.

They were told to wait outside for a further update.

After a short time people were allowed back in.