Holyrood ministers have halted the expansion of youth courts, a decision which has enraged Labour and will dismay SNP back benchers.

Several SNP members have campaigned for the specialist courts in Paisley, Kilmarnock and Dundee but this decision has now been put off for at least a year as the summary justice system is re-evaluated.

The government says the cost involved - each court would cost £1m a year - "cannot be accommodated within the new baseline for offender services".

If youth courts are abandoned it will have serious implications for other specialist hearings such as drug courts and community courts.

Youth courts were launched in 2003 to tackle crime and disorder in Hamilton and it was hoped the courts would prevent some youngsters slipping into a lifetime of crime.

However, last year a report by Audit Scotland challenged the courts' effectiveness.

The move, expected to be announced today, was branded "absurd" by Labour's Pauline McNeill, who said the courts had been popular with police, prosecutors and the bench.

The Glasgow MSP said: "Labour found the money for the extension of youth courts because they work."