HMP Garth in Lancashire is “facing major security issues” and suffering from a “breakdown in safety and security,” according to a new report from prison inspectors. The category B prison, which houses serious offenders, has seen a rise in drug smuggling facilitated by drones, often through holes burned in cell windows by inmates.
Inspectors detailed how prisoners have used heating elements from kettles to melt holes in the “inadequately protected” Perspex windows of their cells, allowing contraband-laden drones to deliver drugs and other illicit goods directly inside. One prisoner described the situation to inspectors, saying, “This is now an airport,” underscoring the ease with which drugs were entering the prison. During the inspection, 63% of surveyed prisoners admitted that obtaining drugs in the facility was easy, while inspectors reported that “the smell of cannabis was rife.”
On the first day of their inspection, officials discovered holes in 13 cell windows, with five of these cells still occupied. Prisoners were reportedly damaging windows faster than maintenance could repair them, allowing the drone deliveries to continue largely unchecked. In addition to holes in windows, oversight and searches within the prison were found to be inadequate, with inspectors noting that the management of items like mops and brooms, frequently used by inmates to retrieve contraband, was “weak.”
Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, expressed concern about the challenges HMP Garth faces in managing these security issues:
“Garth holds some very serious offenders,” he said. “Although the governor had a good understanding of the many challenges the prison faced, without better support from the regional team and the prison service it will continue to be a jail of real concern.”
Taylor stressed the urgency of taking action to prevent the continued flow of drones into the prison, adding:
“It is imperative that the prison service finds a way to stem the ingress of drones to reduce the supply of drugs into prisons like Garth, so they can begin to reduce violence and get men out of their cells and into a full day’s work and training.”
The inspection report also highlighted a 45 percent increase in assaults since the last inspection, with many attacks attributed to drug-related debts. Staff morale was low, with inspectors observing high levels of staff sickness, insufficient training and an unwillingness to address rule-breaking behaviour among prisoners. New arrivals reported having to pay other inmates for missing furniture, and parts of the prison were described as “dilapidated.”
A wider problem
The report follows recent inspections of other troubled prisons, including HMP Winchester, which was found to be so poorly maintained that an inmate was able to remove his own cell door. Campbell Robb, Chief Executive of the social justice charity Nacro, responded to the findings, saying:
“HMP Garth is another example of how without significant reform, we risk perpetuating a vicious cycle of violence and hopelessness within our prisons, undermining both public safety and the potential for rehabilitation in the long-term.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson acknowledged the extent of the report’s findings, stating:
“The new government inherited a prison system in crisis and reports like these demonstrate the need for robust action to get the situation back under control. We have zero tolerance towards violence and drugs and our security measures, such as X-ray body scanners and anti-drone no-fly zones, detect and stop drugs from entering our prisons.”
Despite these measures, the report suggests that HMP Garth remains vulnerable to contraband smuggling and violence, underscoring the need for increased investment and more stringent security protocols to address the growing challenges faced by the UK prison system.
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