Lags logged off in blitz on phones

PRISON bosses have shut down more than 60 Facebook accounts being run by inmates on mobile phones smuggled into jails in the Lothians.

New figures showed that 26 accounts run by convicts at Saughton had been closed, while 38 belonging to inmates at Addiewell had also been shut.

The 64 pages, predominantly run using smartphones smuggled into the jails, have been closed since November 2010.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) instigated a “Facebook policy” in November 2010 to combat it.

Laws mean that anyone caught with a mobile phone can have up to two years added to their sentence.

An SPS spokesman said: “SPS staff are vigilant in their detection of mobile phones through improved intelligence, increased use of search dogs, and the use of technical equipment.”