A JUDGE waved a magnifying glass from the bench as he blasted police for producing witness statements in a form which is too small to read.

Judge Peter Blair QC produced the old fashioned reading aid saying he needed to use it to read some of the paperwork during a case at Swindon Crown Court.

The 53-year-old former barrister made the complaint during a hearing on Wednesday.

He said the force’s typists needed to produce the documents in a form he, lawyers and most importantly jurors, could easily read.

He said he thought the statements had been typed up and printed in the smallest font possible in Microsoft Word: eight point Arial, which measures just one ninth of an inch.

Judge Blair, waving the magnifying glass and referring to the offending statements, said: “These are going to have to be served in something that is practically unusable and the police typists need to be told, and firmly, that it has got to be acceptable to the jury and judiciary.

“Things need to be typed in a font that enable us to read it.

“If you wouldn’t mind getting the message back it would be helpful.

"It is just impossible when things are in the smallest font that Word actually enables you to type things in.”

Hannah Squire, who was prosecuting the case, apologised for the situation and said: “I shall certainly make sure the message gets back.”