One in five inmates taking drugs at HMP Elmley in Kent

Prisoners said it was "easy" to get drugs, the report found

More than one in five inmates at a Kent Prison have been taking drugs, a report has found.

Some 22% of prisoners failed a random, mandatory drugs test at HMP Elmley, on the Isle of Sheppey.

The jail holds about 1,100 prisoners with a significant number of foreign nationals and sex offenders, according to the report.

The prison's bosses said they had plans to tackle concerns over safety and drugs.

In the report, chief inspector of prisons Peter Clarke said violence levels were lower than in similar prisons.

However, nearly half of the inmates told inspectors it was "easy" to get illegal drugs while behind bars.

Mr Clarke said: "Despite nearly half of prisoners telling us that it was easy to obtain illicit drugs in the prison, and 22% testing positive during random mandatory drug tests, there was no comprehensive drug supply reduction strategy.

"Although levels of violence were lower than in similar prisons, a quarter of prisoners still told us they felt unsafe."

Mr Clarke added that safety standards were "not sufficiently good" and inexperienced staff were not challenging bad behaviour among inmates.

There have been two suicides since the last inspection in 2015 but "care for those in crisis or at risk of self-harm was reasonably good", the report concluded.

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