A Supreme Court room has been closed “until further notice” after toxic mould was found in the adjoining Registry Office building.

Supreme Court 3 was due to be used for a sentencing hearing on Friday afternoon, but despite lawyers for both the prosecution and the defence attending the courtroom, the hearing did not go ahead.

Over the weekend, The Royal Gazette received confirmation that both Court 3 and the Registry, which are located on Front Street in Hamilton, would remain closed until further notice.

The move could cause disruption to this week’s court schedule, although an update of the week’s court list was due to be posted to the Supreme Court’s website this morning.

The decision to close Court 3 comes just days after “alarming” traces of toxic mould were discovered inside three rooms in the Supreme Court Registry Office.

The find has prompted two exhibit vault rooms and an outside file room to be classified as “uninhabitable” and consequently put out of bounds for all registry staff. Registrar Shade Subair Williams sent out a circular last week outlining how three different kinds of toxic mould were detected in the rooms after an independent firm was brought in to take air samples inside the building on Front Street in Hamilton.

“In light of these alarming results, registry staff will not be permitted for any reason to access either of the two exhibit vault rooms or the outside file room,” Ms Subair Williams said.

“Efforts for these areas to be fully decontaminated and, indeed, for Registry relocation are under way.”