Prisoners at a Buckinghamshire jail are living in conditions that are “unfit for purpose”, an inspection report has found.

An inspection carried out at HMP Spring Hill, an open prison in Grendon Underwood, raised concerns over accommodation and meaningful work opportunities for inmates.

The report, published today (Friday), found that overall the institution was safe and “well run.”

Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons and author of the report, said: “The accommodation in the prison was awful, showing a woeful lack of investment from the prison service.

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“Ultimately, the prison service must find the money to rebuild all the accommodation on site to provide sustainable, decent facilities for these prisoners.”

At the time the inspection was carried out by HM Inspectorate of Prisons between April and May this year, HMP Spring Hill was home to 241 male prisoners.

Inmates at the open prison sleep in prefabricated blocks built in the 1960s, which were designed to last 20 years. Problems with the blocks included holes in the walls, “erratic” plumbing and unopenable windows. Three of the blocks have also been condemned, reducing the prison’s maximum capacity.

The inspection also found that the prisoners were not given clear pathways or information on employment or study, with only 70 inmates in full-time paid work, training, or education.

The report added: "When the regime reaches its final, settled state, more than half of prisoners should be out at work every day, especially in a part of the country that has that has job vacancies in many areas.”

Despite the issues, the prison was praised as a well-run institution which had improved greatly since it was seen by inspectors in March 2021.

Safety, prisoner management and the low use of force deployed at the prison were all praised in the report.

Concluding his findings, Mr Taylor said: “The governor and her team had done well to restore a sense of purpose at this well-run prison, but their work continued to be hampered by inadequate infrastructure.

“With a bit of imagination from the prison service, there is surely no reason why new accommodation could not be built by prisoners at the jail, who would leave with skills that would get them into well-paid work on release.”