Concerns over HMP Wandsworth's heating failures

Inmates at Wandsworth Prison are being held in "inhumane living conditions", according to a report which also highlighted recurring problems with heating and hot water.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said the prison suffered a "loss of service" affecting the heating in November last year. Temperatures at the 170-year-old Category B prison can fall as low as 12C.

During the outage, an additional 1,500 coats, 1,000 blankets and 2,000 packages of instant soups and noodles were ordered for inmates.

The report warned the prison's unreliable heating and hot water supply would remain an issue until the system was fully replaced, rather than being "patched up in a piecemeal manner".

The report also concluded inmates were being housed in "unsafe, overcrowded, unsanitary and squalid conditions", adding that the "severe physical limitations of the Victorian buildings remain".

Staffing was also highlighted as a major issue, with around a third of staff absent or unavailable on an average day.

Wandsworth is the second-most overcrowded prison in the country, holding between 60% and 80% more people than it was originally designed for.

Many prisoners are sharing cramped cells intended for just one inmate.

The Ministry of Justice said staffing levels at Wandsworth were now above target and that £110m was being invested to create hundreds of additional prison places across the country.

The prison has been involved in a number of scandals in recent years.

Two criminals were released by mistake in November last year, while former prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, was jailed for 15 months after having sex with an inmate in a cell.

In September 2023, prisoner Daniel Khalife escaped from the south-west London jail by clinging to the underside of a food delivery truck.

Despite the issues raised, the report states that HMP Wandsworth has "maintained its recovery from the low point of 2023" and that "many initiatives were introduced to improve the way the prison operates and make life better for the prisoners".

IMB chairman Matthew Andrews said: "The commitment of a strong senior management team and a core of dedicated staff was commendable and meant the prison had a relatively good year.

"This was achieved despite the ongoing and chronic staff shortages.

"However, in a remand prison where almost half the prisoners were foreign nationals and also many men had mental health problems, this ensured that significant management challenges remained."

There had been a reduction in violence, self-harm, and drug access, with HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) no longer considering the prison to be "of concern".

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We inherited prisons on the brink of collapse but we're pulling every lever to restore order.

"While this report recognises progress at HMP Wandsworth we know there is more to do.

"That's why former Home Secretary Amber Rudd is leading an independent review to deliver safer prisons, keep the public safe, and cut reoffending."

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

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