Plans to close Haywards Heath county court as part of cost-cutting measures and modernisation have been met with anger by staff.

If the court shuts, people will lose face-to-face access to advice about divorce, adoption and eviction and the six office staff could lose their jobs.

The Courts Service plans to replace the personal contact facilities with telephone or computer internet access and the public will have to travel to the Brighton Primary Hearing Centre for a full hearing.

Geoff Lyus, of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said: "What they want to do is set up back office arrangements where you phone for information on your case."

Mr Lyus said staff were very upset by the move, which would mean the court could hear cases as little as twice a month, and had written to Mid Sussex MP Nicholas Soames.

He said the PCS supported the need to modernise the court service and believed computerised systems should support staff but felt it was wrong to "destroy the existing court service to achieve this".

If the closure goes ahead it is likely to take effect in 2004 or 2005. A public consultation on the plans, which could close another 12 courts across the South-East, including Lewes, will take place in October.

Mr Soames said: "I am outraged by the Court Service's proposal to centralise all county court work to regional business centres.

"Local people will be denied access to local justice.

"This is the second time in three years we have had to campaign to save the court and it was as a result of the vigorous campaign in 1999 the Lord Chancellor withdrew the proposal.

"I look to the Lord Chancellor to act now and listen to the concerns of the local community."