Prison staff 'deliberately poisoned' with drug

The Prison Service said there would be an investigation

A union has called for a "full investigation" into reports of a "deliberate poisoning" of staff with the drug spice at a men's high-security prison in Kent.

The Criminal Justice Workers Union (CJWU) said 25 people were affected by the incident at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey.

The ambulance service said it treated "a number of patients" at the scene on 9 May and took three people to hospital.

The Prison Service said there would be an investigation.

The CJWU said they were "concerned at the reports regarding the deliberate poisoning of staff by prisoners working in the staff canteen with spice".

Union official Andy Hamlin said: “Although it is not unusual for prisoners to be working staff canteens, they are expected to be the low-risk (prisoners), which clearly hasn’t happened in this case."

Kent Police confirmed it attended to assist the ambulance service.

Spice is a synthetic cannabis with side effects including nausea, mood swings and a loss of muscle coordination.

The staff impacted have returned to work.

In March, three prisoners and three civilian staff at Lewes prison in East Sussex were taken to hospital with food poisoning.