How many civil servants does it take to change a lightbulb?

The stand-off emerged in Court 2 at Shrewsbury where just 17 of the 49 bulbs in the grid of ceiling lights were working.

The situation left Judge Robin Onions shrouded in darkness.

After His Honour asked if arrangements could be made for the bulbs to be replaced, he was told by his clerk, Jane Pryce, that it was a longstanding problem at the court.

She said Shropshire Council – which owns the building – believed the job was down to the Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for the judicial system.

But the men from the ministry believed it was down to the local authority and had ordered it to act.

Judge Onions said: "You couldn't make it up."

He added: "I am quite tempted to get a ladder up and do it myself."

However, the judge's intervention appears to have finally shed some light on the matter – with Shropshire Council now taking action.

The unitary authority has stepped in to claim responsibility and says it is now in the process of getting the 32 faulty lightbulbs replaced.

A spokeswoman for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service said discussions had today taken place with the council and that the issue would soon be resolved.

She added: "We've spoken to the council today and they are going to make arrangements to have the lightbulbs replaced."

A Shropshire Council spokesman added: "The problem with light fittings in Court 2 has been reported to us and we are looking at getting them replaced."

Shrewsbury Crown Court, which faces the magistrate's court in Preston Street, has two main courts and has previously held open days for the public with staff, lawyers, members of the Crown Prosecution Service and the probation service all explaining their roles to people.

It first opened in 1967 replacing the former court in the town's Square.