HMP Full Sutton: Work starts on 1,500 capacity 'mega prison'

About 600 jobs will be created during construction of the new facility, the government says

Building work has begun on a new "mega prison" to house nearly 1,500 inmates.

The facility is being built at Full Sutton, in East Yorkshire, alongside the existing maximum security prison and despite opposition from nearly 3,000 people, including police.

Billed as the UK's first all-electric jail, the site will be powered by solar panels and heat pump technology.

The government has said construction work will create 600 jobs with the prison set to open in 2025.

The new prison is designed to house up to 1,500 male inmates

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The Ministry of Justice said the design would "cut energy costs to taxpayers by over £1.1m a year" as it will use "78% less energy than HMP Wormwood Scrubs", a traditional Victorian prison in London.

Minister for Prisons and Probation Damian Hinds said: "The new prison at Full Sutton will protect the public and the public purse, using the latest technology to cut energy costs.

"Giving prisoners the skills in demand by local businesses will help them find work and turn over a new leaf - cutting reoffending and making our streets safer."

He said at least 50 ex-offenders would be employed during construction.

Campaigners opposed the plans and Humberside Police objected fearing it would increase violent crime within the jail and raise demands on the force

However, Councillor Colin Clarke, of Stamford Parish Council, cited concerns over its size and impact on the local landscape.

"Doncaster and Leeds are where they're really short on prison places.

"In Doncaster they've got open fields next to Moorland Prison. They could have expanded that prison and solved the problem."

Jonathan Owen, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, welcomed the build and said it would "provide a great boost to the local economy and employment market".

A public consultation has started to decide on a name for the facility and the government is due to launch a competition later this year to select a company to run the new prison.

The existing HMP Full Sutton facility has a capacity for about 500 male inmates.