A crown court in Cambridgeshire has been closed due to “heating problems” making the cells too cold for prisoners.

Hearings at Peterborough Crown Court were brought to a halt and a new venue had to be found after problems with the building’s heating were discovered.

Although the fault was quickly fixed, an inside spokesman revealed that the cells were “much colder than the rest of the building” still.

The court, based in Rivergate, Peterborough, has not heard any criminal cases since Monday, January 28 and will remain shut tomorrow.

A spokesman for HM Courts and Tribunals Service said: “We’ve been experiencing problems with the heating in Peterborough.

“This has now been fixed, but as the cells were much colder than the rest of the building, custody hearings have been moved to a different venue while they warm up.

“County and Family hearings are continuing as usual.”