Dartmoor Prison to stay open 'beyond 2023'

Plans to close the prison were announced in 2013, but were later shelved

A new lease to keep HMP Dartmoor open "beyond 2023 and for the foreseeable future" is due to be signed in 2022.

HM Prison Service said an initial agreement had been reached with its owner, the Duchy of Cornwall.

The prison is a closed category C - for prisoners who are not expected to make a determined escape attempt - and currently holds 640 prisoners.

The lease is due to be signed after final negotiations on the terms have been completed.

The prison, in Princetown, was built in 1806 to hold French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars.

Plans to close the prison were announced in 2013, but were later shelved due to concerns over rising prisoner numbers in England and Wales.