Turning pubs into makeshift courts could help restore public faith in the justice system, a former judge believes.

Dame Anne Rafferty reckons calling judges to actual bars would make law courts more accessible. Supermarkets, libraries and church halls could be turned into "pop-up" courts as well, she said.

The former High Court judge added: "The community can embrace justice and justice can position itself locally as it always did." She argued reform would help restore public faith in the justice system, adding: "Lining up community with justice is the big sell."

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"Nightingale courts" were set up during Covid to boost capacity, but the backlog of Crown Court cases is at a 23-year high, with more than 67,000 awaiting a court date. The additional courtrooms were launched in July 2022 and used as a "measure to increase capacity and alleviate the pressure on courts and tribunals during the pandemic."

Many of these sites remain open more than four years after the UK's first lockdown began. Some of these are in hotels, such as the Leonardo Hotel in Croydon, while some are held in former courthouses given a new lease of life. However, none of these temporary Covid courtrooms can be found in your favourite local watering hole just yet.

Dame Rafferty, 73, was the first woman to chair the Criminal Bar Association. She has held a number of high-profile positions within the UK legal system including being appointed to the High Court of Justice in 2000 and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.

She signed the Proclamation of Accession of King Charles III when the monarch came to power in 2022 and she also overturned a lower court decision stating then-PM Boris Johnson would face three allegations of misconduct in public office.