A Crown Court judge has bemoaned the lack of an old fashioned lock picker after the door to the dock in his court jammed shut.

Proceedings at Exeter Crown Court were suspended for a short time while security staff battled with the jammed lock in the glass door of the dock.

Defendants who were on bail had to stand or sit in the well of the court because it was impossible for them to get into the secure area at the back.

Judge Graham Cottle joked that it was surprising that none of the 17 defendants listed to appear before him were capable of opening the jammed lock.

He said: "I'm very surprised that particularly on a Friday morning there is nobody in the building who can pick a lock.

"I may be able to give credit for something other than a guilty plea."

The Crown Court building on Southernhay Gardens is only a few years old and the secure area is controlled by the private firm GEO Amey, whose custody staff battled in vain to free the lock.

It is hoped that a locksmith can be brought in to solve the problem before court cases resume next week.