Prison staff and inmates sue over radon gas levels

"Higher than normal" radon levels were found at HMP Dartmoor

Around 60 prison staff, prisoners and former inmates of HMP Dartmoor have launched legal action over radon levels.

Solicitor Mladen Kesar said he was acting on behalf of more than 500 claimants in total, with between 50 and 60 claims already issued on behalf of prison staff, prisoners and former inmates.

All inmates were moved from the prison in Princetown, Devon, after the Prison Service found "higher than normal" levels of radon gas there. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation into levels of radon gas at HMP Dartmoor in December 2023.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings."

An HSE spokesperson said their investigation "remains ongoing at this stage".

Mr Kesar told the BBC that the people he was representing included prisoners, former inmates, prison officers, nurses and other staff.

"We have issued claims for about 50 to 60 and are working on others," he added.

Peak radon levels detected at HMP Dartmoor in 2020 and 2023 were 10 times the recommended workplace limit, according to the response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the BBC.

Prison Officers' Association South West representative Sarah Rigby said they would be seeking further legal advice for their members pending the outcome of the Health and Safety Executive investigation

Prison Officers' Association South West representative Sarah Rigby said: "We are collating contact details for any POA member who is concerned they have been impacted by the high levels of radon that have been found at Dartmoor prison."

She said they would be seeking further legal advice on behalf of their members once the HSE report was published.

Radon is a colourless and odourless radioactive gas formed by decaying uranium found in rocks and soils.

Prolonged exposure to it can cause illness, with regular testing carried out at buildings like HMP Dartmoor.

The UK Health Security Agency said radon levels might be higher in parts of the country rich in granite such as Dartmoor.

Radon caused about 1,000 lung cancer deaths in the UK every year, they added.

A map showing radon levels in the south west of England. The darker the colour, the greater the chance of a higher level

Dartmoor prison was built in the early 19th century to hold French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars.

It was slated for closure in 2023 but that decision was reversed in 2019 in the face of rising prisoner numbers.

New daily ventilation measures were introduced at the prison last year as inmates began to return.

This involves opening all roof vents, windows and doors three times a day in impacted areas in order to "purge" radon gas.