JUST a day after the tragic bombing in Madrid Chippenham's courthouse was fitted with a special metal detector.

The timing was coincidence, but court officials admit that sadly the decision to install the arch, a familiar sight at airports, at the entrance to Chippenham Magistrates Court, is a sign of the times.

But Divisional Court manager Colin Giles said he felt installing the metal detector was a positive step towards ensuring the safety of the people who use the busy court.

"I guess these sort of things will be become more and more familiar from now on and we will start to see a lot more of them," Mr Giles said.

"But they are designed to protect the people who use the building.

"Some people do happen to have things like penknives in their pocket when they come into court. That is not to suggest that they want to harm anyone in anyway, but it's safer if they don't have them when they go into the building."

He revealed that security guards operating the machine since it was installed three weeks ago have found penknives, darts, syringes and large screwdrivers on people coming into the court.

Mr Giles added that everyone who enters the court is checked and security staff also confiscated a pair of scissors found in the briefcase of a defence lawyer.

But he added nothing has yet been discovered that has resulted in a call to the police.

"A lot of people have commented on the machine and said they think it's a great idea," he said.

"I think we were surprised at the number of people who knew automatically what to do without asking and would turn out their pockets or open their briefcases as they approached the gate."

The machine is capable of detecting metal of various weights and sizes.

As people approach Mr Giles explained they are asked to put any metal objects they are carrying into a plastic tub.

They then walk through the arch, but if they are still carrying any metal objects they will activate lights on the machine, capable of pinpointing roughly where the object is on the person.

Mr Giles said no particular incident had prompted the installation of the machine in Chippenham and revealed it had been in the pipeline for some time.

"Certain courts have had them for longer than others, but finally the money became available and we went ahead and got it," he said.

He said security officers have been trained to operate the machines and deal with the objects they find.

Mr Giles said drug-users are encouraged not to bring needles to court, but added there is a sharps box available, just in case.