Newcastle Crown Court is one of the north's largest court buildings

More than �25,000 has been spent at Newcastle Crown Court - one of northern England's largest court buildings.

New facilities also include a suite of waiting rooms for witnesses, all of which come into operation on Monday.

The move followed pleas from the Crown Prosecution Service, Probation Service and Victim Support specialists.

The project has been funded by the Northumbria Criminal Justice Board, which is chaired by Northumbria Police chief constable Crispian Strachan.

He said: "This is a major improvement for witnesses and victims, which will support members of the public in bringing offenders to justice.

"It will go a considerable way to reduce the stress they undergo when attending court to give evidence.

"In the past all witnesses, except some vulnerable witnesses under special measures, had to use the main doors and wait on the concourses, possibly with the defendants, until called into court."