Riot officers are sent into Long Lartin high-security prison after 70 inmates go on the rampage and take over a wing
- Prisoners pelted pool balls at prison officers during the major disturbance
- Staff were force to flee the wing after prisoners began smashing up the building
- A Tornado Team of specially trained riot officers has been deployed in the jail
- The Category A prison holds some of Britain’s most dangerous inmates
Prisoners at the high-security HMP Long Lartin have gone on the rampage taking over a wing at the Category A jail.
Staff were forced to withdraw from the wing after up to 70 prisoners began rioting.
The Ministry of Justice said specialist guards have been deployed to the Worcestershire prison in an effort to bring the facility back under control.
Specialist officers were taken to Long Lartin jail after a riot by inmates who seized a wing
Paramedics, left, and security officials, right, were seen at the high-security jail last night
A group of 70 prisoners have gone on the rampage at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire
The Ministry for Justice confirmed a ‘Tornado Team’ of specially trained riot officers have been deployed at the prison to quell the disturbance
Prison staff were attacked with pool balls and one officer went to hospital after indirectly sustaining an injury in the incident.
A specialist unit of prison officers, known as a Tornado Team, have been sent to the Category A prison in an attempt to restore order.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: ‘Specialist staff have been deployed to manage an ongoing incident at HMP Long Lartin.
‘We are absolutely clear that prisoners who behave in this way will be punished and face extra time behind bars.’
Workers at Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire early this morning where a riot has taken place
A security van was seen entering the grounds of the jail in the early hours of Wednesday
Paramedics and other medical personnel were on standby at the jail after a riot broke out there
Prison Officers’ Association general secretary Steve Gillan tweeted: ‘At moment we do not know all the facts but we fully support all our members at Long Lartin who are clearly facing a difficult evening with a disturbance.’
HMP Long Lartin is one of five high-security ‘dispersal’ establishments and holds some of the most dangerous offenders in the country.
The high-security prison has the capacity for 622 inmates and is believed to currently hold around 500.
According to a 2018 report into the prison following a serious disturbance involving 81 prisoners, around 75 per cent of the inmates were serving life sentences.
A quarter of all inmates were classed as Category A or high-security offenders.