Rat-infested Bedford Prison found to have highest violence levels

The chief inspector of prisons said "urgent action is needed to improve conditions at Bedford"

Bedford Prison has higher levels of violence than any other prison in the country, according to a critical report from inspectors.

It said the prison was rat-infested, with inmates held in mouldy cells with broken windows, up to 23 hours a day.

Bedford is the fifth prison to be issued with an urgent notification for improvement from HM Inspectorate of Prisons this year.

Prisons Minister Edward Argar said the findings were "unacceptable".

In a statement, he said the government would be taking "immediate action" to address concerns which would include deploying extra staff to enhance safety.

He said further improvement plans would be announced shortly, with the government "pressing ahead with the biggest prison expansion since the Victoria era".

Levels of violence in Bedford are higher than any other prison in the county

Inspections took place at the Category B reception prison between 30 October and 9 November.

The report claimed Bedford had the highest levels of violent assaults against staff in adult male prisons in England and Wales.

It said violence rates were even higher than at HMP Woodhill, which also received an urgent notification in August.

The report said that as well as attacks on staff, officers used excessive force and were heard swearing at prisoners.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, issued an urgent notification for improvement within days of the inspection, as conditions had deteriorated so sharply since the last checks.

He said many of the issues reflected wider problems across the prison estate.

"There were not enough staff, and prisoners were held in overcrowded and squalid conditions with very high rates of violence and self-harm," he said.

He added that the staff present were "inexperienced" and failed to deal with low-level behaviour, and inspectors found examples of excessive use of force and abuse of prisoners.

"There had also been, almost unbelievably, an escape by a prisoner supposedly under constant supervision," he said.

Prisoners, staff and managers reported witnessing racism and the post of equality manager at the jail had been vacant for a year, the report added.

In response, the prison has now completed the recruitment of a new diversity manager and a second post will be appointed to accelerate improvement on inclusion.

The report also found inmates had been housed in mouldy and graffiti-covered cells, with broken windows.

The government said a new taskforce has been appointed to make repairs and applications for funding to make larger repairs will be made on a case by case basis.

Since the last check, inspectors had also found the levels of self-harm in the prison had risen by 84%.

The secretary of state has 28 days to respond to the report's findings.