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Court backlog hits record high in England and Wales after doubling in size in just 6 years

gbnews.com · 4h · first reportShare

The backlog of cases waiting to be heard in crown courts across England and Wales has skyrocketed to a new record high. There were 80,829 open cases at the end of June 2026, according to Ministry of Justice data published on Thursday. This is up from 80,437 at the end of March and a jump of three per cent from 78,226 a year earlier. The backlog has nearly doubled in size in the past six years, having stood at 43,403 at the end of June 2020. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say A record 23,706 crown court cases had been open for at least a year as of June 30 2026, up 22 per cent from 19,384 12 months earlier. Of these, 7,255 had been open for at least two years, up 15 per cent from 6,295 in June 2025 and another record high. The average length of an open case has passed 200 days for the first time. The median average stood at 203 days at the end of June, up from 197 days at the end of March and 168 days a year earlier. More to follow... Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter