In brief: Report brands civil courts 'too slow'

The civil court system is condemned in a new survey as too slow, too complicated, open to manipulation and not user-friendly enough. Three quarters of people who have been involved in a dispute criticised the procedure and only 13 per cent found it easy to understand. The survey for the BBC Radio 4 'Law in Action' programme and the National Consumer Council found that people wanted an alternative system. Only one quarter of the respondents said the system was well-run, fair, likely to get it right and something to be proud of.