Prisoner died in cell fire after alarm failed, report says
PA MediaA prisoner died in a cell fire after the alarm apparently failed to sound, according to a report.
The Independent Monitoring Boards's (IMB) annual report highlighted "acute concerns" about fire safety in prisons across England and Wales including the "inadequacy of evacuation arrangements for those with mobility issues, and faulty fire alarms".
Benjamin Fitzsimmons, 47, died at HMP Garth, a Category B men's high-security prison, in Walton, Leyland, on 24 September.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is investigating his death. The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment by the BBC.
The IMB, made up of a thousand unpaid volunteers, provides statutory, independent oversight, monitoring the treatment and care of prisoners and detainees across England and Wales.
The IMB's national report published on Wednesday said deteriorating buildings exposed prisoners to inhumane conditions.
It cited Fitzsimmons's death at HMP Garth as an example of this.
The IMB said prisoners endured "unacceptable conditions, including flooding, infestation and fire risk", adding the physical estate was "failing faster than it is being repaired".
The review also said self-inflicted deaths were a key concern in men's prisons and said HMP Garth was among "cluster sites" where they were "occurring at an alarming frequency".
Jane Leech MBE, interim national chair of the IMB, said: "Poor conditions, limited regimes and unsafe environments damage mental and physical wellbeing, undermine rehabilitation, and erode dignity.
"They also affect public safety, the likelihood of reoffending, staff retention, and trust in the justice system."
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