Prisoners win slopping out case at Peterhead Prison

Peterhead Prison is due to be replaced by HMP Grampian in 2014

Two prisoners have won a landmark legal victory after a judge ruled that slopping out breached their privacy rights.

The men - who are convicted sex offenders - were both inmates at Peterhead Prison.

They have been awarded compensation, and other cases are thought likely to follow, possibly costing the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds.

Lady Dorrian made the finding at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "The Scottish Prison Service is currently considering the full implications of this judgement.

"However, it is significant that the treatment of the prisoners in this case was not found to be in breach of their fundamental human rights - and therefore potentially far less costly than previous judgements in similar cases."

A new HMP Grampian jail, due to open in Peterhead in 2014, will hold about 500 inmates and replace the two older Victorian jails in Aberdeen and Peterhead.