MOST cases at Basingstoke Magistrates Court are being adjourned to next month.

Cases at Winchester Crown Court are boing limited with all jury cases postponed and other hearing being conducted by video link.

With inquests, senior coroner Christopher Wilkinson has adjourned all hearings with a jury or with witnesses.

A statement on the Hampshire Coroner website said: "To protect ourselves and others through social distancing, it would be inappropriate to hold any other sustained hearings involving multiple participants for the foreseeable future.

"Inquests will proceed where there is no need to call witnesses to attend for the foreseeable future, subject to the wider demands on the coroner service as circumstances evolve."

Hearings will now involve video technology to limit the number of people who attend. The press will only be allowed to attend by phone link.

Meanwhile, the city council has cancelled two planning committee that were due this month , yesterday, April 8 and April 30. The number of committees drops sharply in April because of the pre-election period of 'purdah'. Those elections due to have been held on Thursday May 7 were cancelled weeks ago.