Bedbugs force prisons to leave cells empty

Bedbugs have forced the closure of prison cells, in the latest blow to Labour’s efforts to solve the prison overcrowding crisis . The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has revealed the reasons for nearly 3,800 prison spaces being out of use at a time when thousands of offenders are being released early to tackle overcrowding. They include the need for fire safety repairs , interior damage by prisoners, the spread of Legionella bacteria, the presence of asbestos, radon gas, damp, mould, leaks – and bedbugs. In a written parliamentary answer to Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, Catherine McKinnell, the prisons minister, admitted that as of Oct 19, two places were not in use because of bedbugs. The two spaces were at HMP Wayland, near Thetford in Norfolk, three months after the jail was hit by a summer outbreak of the biting insect. In July, a recently released prisoner wrote to Inside Time, the newspaper for prisoners, stating that he had been “detained in a cell infested by bedbugs”. In response, the Prison Service said the jail had seen “a limited outbreak of bedbugs, which affected four cells and was dealt with quickly and appropriately”. It was one of two jails where the Prison Service had to call in specialist teams to tackle an infestation of the parasites, which thrive in warm weather. The second was at HMP Holme House in Stockton-on-Tees, where it was reported that at least three cells were affected by what the Prison Service said was a “limited outbreak”. There have been reports of a surge in bedbugs, which are difficult to eradicate because of their physical resilience, effective hiding habits, rapid reproduction rates and resistance to pesticides. London is reported to have suffered a 20 per cent increase in infestations in the past year, including one that forced the cancellation of Southeastern trains after drivers discovered the insects in their cabs. Bedbugs jump from person to person and are carried within clothing, sheets and coverings. They can spread very quickly and suck human blood, leaving distinctive red welts. They can survive for months – and up to a year in cool environments – without a single blood meal, meaning they can wait in empty rooms or after failed attempts to destroy them. In an ageing prison estate, which includes 150-year-old jails, 236 prison spaces were out of use because of damp, mould or leaks. The Tories have said these problems should be solved to a reasonable standard for prisoners within days, not weeks or months. Some 162 prison places were out of use because of damage caused by prisoners, including 120 at Highpoint near Newmarket in Suffolk caused by arson. Some 66 prison spaces were out of use owing to electrical work, 20 cells because of Legionella, a bacterium that can cause lung disease, and 60 as a result of asbestos. The total also included 640 places at Dartmoor prison, where toxic, cancer-causing radon gas , which is released from granite-rich soils, was detected. The biggest reason for decommissioning prison spaces was the MoJ’s delayed fire safety improvement programme. Some 2,255 prison cells are shut to allow advanced automatic alarms to be installed, a project that was supposed to end in 2027 but has been delayed until the 2030s. As previously revealed by The Telegraph, 126 places at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, will be out of use for repair work until February 2034. Mr Timothy said: “Labour have failed to use the prison cells they have, delaying repair work for years, failing to install new fire safety measures, and refusing to do the hard work needed to keep criminals behind bars. “At a time when Labour are releasing thousands of serious criminals early, it is wrong that so many cells are out of use due to expensive and slow repairs. “Only the Conservatives have a plan to build 50,000 more prison spaces, ending Labour’s early release schemes for good and ensuring violent and serious repeat offenders are kept locked up.” However, an MoJ source said: “We inherited a prison system at breaking point after 14 years of Tory neglect, during which they closed 23 prisons. “This Government is focused on taking a responsible long-term approach, tackling urgent maintenance needs alongside the biggest prison building programme since the Victorian era. “We will be judged by progress on the ground, rather than take lectures from those who ignore their own legacy.”