The closure of Arbroath Sheriff Court will further cripple a Tayside justice system “already beyond full stretch”, MSPs have warned.
The Scottish Government was urged to listen to recent comments made by Dundee sheriffs and rethink the closure of Arbroath Sheriff Court next spring.
The Dundee court is said to be in “chaos” due to the volume of business, which will only increase when the system is reformed.
Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said: “This shows courts across the area are already beyond full stretch (and) the situation will be exacerbated.
“If cases are already being delayed because of capacity, what hope is there once that capacity is lessened?”
Tory North East MSP Alex Johnstone said: “The evidence is mounting that our court system is simply unable to cope with the workload, even as it stands at the moment.
“The Scottish Government has got it spectacularly wrong and it must do the right thing and re-examine these court closures before it is too late.
“To close them could well prove to be catastrophic.”
Arbroath was one of 10 courts selected for closure by the Scottish Court Service in a cost-cutting exercise.
Liberal Democrat North East MSP Alison McInnes said it is time that the Government “paid some heed” to the sheriffs at the frontline.
She said: “Our courts are already stretched and the problem will only be compounded by the closure of Arbroath.”