Prison showers and drinking water affected by leak

Parents of inmates at HMP Swinfen Hall have told the BBC there has been limited water supply

A water leak at a prison in Staffordshire has affected the supply to showers and cells, according to relatives of inmates.

Families have been in touch with the BBC and said their sons at HMP Swinfen Hall, near Lichfield, have been unable to shower for several days.

A spokesperson for the Prison Service said there had been access to clean drinking water at all times.

Showers were stopped as a precautionary measure while the issue was addressed, but the water supply to cells was not compromised, they added.

"The situation is resolved and the water supply to HMP Swinfen Hall has been reinstated," a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

One woman, who said her son was an inmate at the prison, said prisoners had been given a 500ml bottle of water to last through the night and had not able to shower.

"The whole wing was stinking because people weren't able to have showers," she said.

"I was disgusted, in this heat as well. They're locked up and they've got no drinking water - they've basically just given them a little supply," she said.

"It shouldn't be happening. They should be supplying them with basic needs."

She added that she had to top up her son's account for use in the canteen to buy extra drinks.