Parties to a dispute are now put through mediation before the case goes to trial at the Petty Claims Court.

It is estimated that about three quarters of cases are now resolved in this manner.

Because of its success, using mediation as a part of the process of solving differences of opinion over small claims is likely to become permanent.

The scheme has been piloted for more than a year, but it will not become official until the summer, when new rules governing the island's court processes come into effect.

Another planned change is to raise the limit of the amount that can be dealt with by the Petty Claims Court rather than the Royal Court from �2,500 to �10,000.