Open prison torched after guards try to breathalyse inmates

AN OPEN prison erupted in flames yesterday as inmates went on a rampage thought to have been sparked by attempts to breathalyse them to check for contraband alcohol.

Windows were smashed and fires started in a number of buildings at Ford Prison near Arundel, West Sussex, in the early hours of yesterday morning after attempts to monitor alcohol use spiralled out of control. Prison officers' attempts to test inmates with breathalysers were likened by one official to "a scene out of Benny Hill".

It was claimed only two prison officers and four support staff were on duty at the time to manage a prison population of up to 200 inmates. Specialist riot police were brought in yesterday morning to control the situation.

Mark Freeman, deputy general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said alcohol had been a concern at the open prison for some times, and added that prisoners turned violent after they refused to be breathalysed.

Freeman said: "When the prisoners refused to be breathalysed they became violent along with other prisoners and went on what we call a mutiny. This is a prison mutiny."

He added: "Staff have been running around trying to breathalyse prisoners, it's been reminiscent of the end scenes of The Benny Hill Show, the only thing missing was the music."

It is thought that around 40 inmates took part in the riot, with those from the prison's B wing taking the lead in the violence.

At around midnight, rioters wearing home-made balaclavas to hide their identities, began smashing windows and activating fire alarms. A total of eight blocks were set ablaze.

Buildings destroyed included a mail room, a gym, a snooker room and a pool room with ten newly-installed pool tables. The loss of the accommodation blocks meant that about 160 inmates would have to be transferred to other prisons.

Staff were forced to retreat as the violence increased, with riot police and specialist prison officers brought in, in an attempt to regain control.

"This is what happens when you have the mix of easily available alcohol and the wrong type of prisoner," said Freeman.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "No-one wins from a prison disturbance.

"It endangers prisoners and staff, worries families and ends in a high cost the Prison Service can ill afford."

All of the rioters were thought to have been detained last night, with six having been identified as the ringleaders. Three of these were being held and transferred to another jail.