HMP Oakwood casts a dark shadow over Featherstone residents

They had already learned to live with a jail on their doorstep. In fact they had two.

It is no wonder then that they have little else on their minds than the prisons that dominate their pretty village.

But when plans were unveiled for yet another – which would take the number of prisoners and juvenile offenders in Featherstone to over 3,000 – residents feared the worst.

The village itself only has around 4,000 people living in it.

And now, after a catalogue of blunders, riots, rooftop protests and lost criminals roaming around their village, they have said enough is enough.

It has not even been open for two years but the problems at HMP Oakwood are mounting.

Councillor Bob Cope, who has lived in the area for 16-years, represents Featherstone and Shareshill on South Staffordshire District Council.

He explained: "This jail has dominated the lives of people here since it was first mooted more than four years ago.

"Now it looms over them both physically and emotionally.

"They are not happy and there will be a backlash if these problems persist."

The £150 million prison – the largest in England – opened in April 2012 next to Featherstone Prison and Brinsford Young Offender's Institute.

But residents have had enough of having so many inmates on their doorstep – especially with so many well publicised issues at Oakwood.

Residents living nearby say they are worried by rising crime in the area and prisoners wandering around the area after being freed from their sentences without transport to train or bus stations.

Many local people bitterly opposed the building of the giant prison on their doorstep. Inspector Geoff Knight, local South Staffs police commander, confirmed officers had met with villagers.

And he said: "Following the disturbance at the prison on Sunday, as part of our community impact assessment, we contacted local councillors to gauge their level of concern about the incident. As elected representatives of the community they are one of the groups we would always contact to assess the level of reassurance we need to provide through local policing."

He continued: "It has been, and remains, a low crime area. Whilst there may have been an increase in overall crime in the last twelve months, there is nothing to suggest a correlation between this and Oakwood Prison."

South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson is worried about Oakwood staff as well as his constituents. He predicted: "The way G4S responds over the next four weeks is going to be critical in terms of their future. If they do not get their act together in terms of running and managing the situation, it might be time to see if someone else could run it more effectively."

Featherstone councillor Frank Beardsmore confessed: "I'm worried someone will be killed. We've seen reports about high levels of violence there and, for me safety for the officers is a significant concern. Is it the staff levels, or are there training issues? It really needs to be looked into."

The jail was meant to be the model for the modern penal system – but it has become the butt of jokes of the prison world.

It all started before the prison even opened, when it started to be built bigger than planning permission granted – and it has since been plagued with problems.

Claims that drugs were easier to get hold of than soap in the privately run South Staffordshire jail led to it being dubbed 'Jokewood' and the latest outbreak of trouble saw up to 20 prisoners – said to be fuelled by illegal alcohol – threatening staff and damaging cells.

Now the mother of a former prisoner has alleged that inmates had been making 'hooch' there for at least six months.

In the wake of last Sunday night's troubles Jayne Smith has told how her 31-year-old son had 16 days added to his sentence after a bottle of the illegal liquor was found in his cell at the jail last summer.

The 57-year-old mother of four from The Lunt, Bilston disclosed: "The inmates were getting drunk on hooch as long ago as last August when my son was busted. They made it from various things including bread and orange juice. I am so pleased that he was moved to another prison before the latest disturbance or goodness knows what would have happened." Mrs Smith, whose son was jailed for three-and-a-half years for his part in the 2011 summer riots in Wolverhampton, continued: "He had been in Oakwood since it opened. He told me that the place was going to go up soon and had warned the guards to be on their toes because of the way trouble was brewing.

"He told me they could not do the job. One of the guards told me during a visit how easy the work was for them compared with what they had been doing before. Some said they had been stacking shelves at supermarkets before starting at the jail."

In the wake of Sunday's drama there were claims of a 'cover-up' over the trouble which was fiercely denied by prison bosses.

Michael Spurr, chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service insisted he had 'confidence' in the prison's director John McLaughlin and said there would be a proper investigation. A report leaked this week also uncovered claims about previous outbreaks of violence at the troubled £150million prison. Guards in riot gear were sent into the prison in November, it has been claimed. On that occasion, around 18 prisoners, drunk and armed with pool cues, are said to have threatened officers and lit paper fires. In the week after that, there were five other outbreaks of violence in which staff or prisoners were attacked, it is alleged.

A damning recent report ruled the jail had inexperienced staff with high levels of violence and self-harm among inmates. Inspectors found illicit drugs were 'easily available'. There were also reports of drugs in tennis balls being thrown over walls.

The Prison Officers Association – no fans of private jails – have urged the Government to take control as police keep a close eye.

But Justice Secretary Chris Grayling backed the jail this week and insisted: "If you look at the rate of trouble in Oakwood it is not anywhere near the top of the league table. It is average for disturbance and problems in prisons which are always going to happen. Prisoners are always going to kick up and cause trouble. Oakwood is no different to anywhere else."

G4S said: "The mobilisation of any prison is a complex and challenging operation but the size and scale of Oakwood – the largest prison in the country – makes this even more acute. As well as the logistical hurdles in new establishments, prisoners test the regime as well as the staff, many of whom may be new to prison life. Since the publication of the HMIP report last year we have taken steps to make improvements, appointing an experienced director from one of the country's best performing prisons and establishing a dedicated task force to address problem areas."