Inmates in the crumbling prison estate have been bitten by rates and venomous spiders, according to a new report that lays bare the state of prisons in England and Wales.
Vermin infestations are an “acute issue” across the prison estate, the report found, with inspectors describing cockroach invasions, biting flies living in the showers, dead rodents rotting on the wings and cells taken out of use due to bedbugs.
At Bullingdon prison, in Oxfordshire, inmates were bitten by venomous false widow spiders while at Hollesley Bay prison in Suffolk an inmate was bitten by a rat while sorting through rubbish. At HMP Pentonville, the rat infestation was so bad the kitchen had to be temporarily closed down in April 2024 for three months. Prisoners had to resort to sandwiches and, on one evening, freeze-dried army-grade rations.
The report, collated from the experience of Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) at prisons across England and Wales, found that flooding and leaks frequently affected jails. At Bedford prison, the care and separation unit – which held some of the most vulnerable men in the prison – was situated underground and would regularly flood when it rained.
The leaking roof of a similar unit at Feltham B prison in west London resulted in buckets being used to catch water contaminated with ferrous oxide. This year, at Wayland prison in Norfolk, water leaks shut down the pharmacy and consultation room.
The monitoring board for Coldingley in Bisley, Surrey, said conditions at the prison were “inhumane and unfit for the 21st century”, with suspected raw sewage leaking through several ceilings.
Delays to maintenance and repairs are having serious safety implications at many prisons, inspectors from the Independent Monitoring Boards have warned.
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In 2016, a Pentonville prisoner was killed with a weapon believed to have been smuggled in through a window and two prisoners escaped through their cell window shortly afterwards. Despite the subsequent urgent investigation recommending that 800 insecure windows and security grills be replaced immediately, eight years later this has still not been completed, the report found.
Inspectors also raised concerns that prisoners at HMP Dartmoor had been exposed to significant safety risks caused by radon gas.
Fire safety risks are also a huge concern. In April this year at Dartmoor the fire brigade were unable to reach a small cell fire as the main gate could not be opened. Inspectors described the incident as potentially catastrophic.
Dartmoor has been closed temporarily, with all the inmates moved out, following the discovery of high levels of radon at the jail.
Meanwhile, broken heating systems or poor ventilation in prisons is often leading to intolerably hot or cold temperatures, the report found.
James Timpson, the prisons minister, said the report was “very concerning”, adding that it “highlights the shocking extent of the prison crisis we inherited”.
“The government has already taken immediate action to address the crowding chaos engulfing our jails. We are now focusing on improving conditions in the long term so our prisons create better citizens, not better criminals,” Lord Timpson said.
Rob Preece, at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Coming only a week after the government revealed that there are 23,000 cells still requiring fire safety upgrades, this report presents further evidence of the urgent need for change in the prison system.”
Elisabeth Davies, national chair of the IMB, said: “Decades of underinvestment in the fabric of the prison estate has eaten away at the infrastructure and equipment of prisons, stripping away much of the estate’s resilience.
“This report highlights the consequences of underinvestment and sticking-plaster solutions. It should serve as a warning against continuing down these paths.”
