Brinsford is worst prison in country, says new report

The jail, near Wolverhampton, was given the lowest rating nationwide by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).

Brinsford was the only prison out of 126 to be given the lowest score of one by the government agency, marking it as a "serious concern".

Neighbouring HMP Oakwood, which is run by G4S and cost £150 million, was given a score of two, meaning it is of "concern" to NOMS. However, it is an improvement on last year when it too received the lowest possible score.

Featherstone, meanwhile, was given a three, meaning it is hitting the majority of its targets.

The news is the latest blow to Brinsford, which faced closure calls in April after another damning report found inmates had been living in dirty cells that were covered with graffiti and poorly furnished. The report added that some cells did not have window panes, leaving inmates exposed to the elements, and there was no toilet screening in a number of shared cells.

Michael Spurr, chief executive officer of NOMS, said today: "At the time of the last inspection in November 2013, Brinsford was struggling to cope with a challenging population and its performance had deteriorated to an unacceptable level.

"Following the inspection we took immediate action to improve conditions. A new governor was appointed and urgent work was done to improve safety, ensure decency and increase activity."

"The prison is now clean, safe, ordered and is operating to an acceptable standard. There is more to do to ensure this rapid progress is maintained and embedded but the governor has a clear strategy in place and has the full support of his staff. I am confident that when inspectors return they will see a much improved establishment."

The NOMS annual report looks at the performance of prisons in England and Wales based on four categories: public protection, reducing re-offending, decency and resource management and operational effectiveness.

See also: Officer numbers plummet in two Midland jails

MP for South Staffordshire, Gavin Williamson described the latest report as a "grave concern".

"I know that HMYOI Brinsford had a situation earlier this year and there were problems that led to changes at the prison," he said. "It is of grave concern that the prison has been rated as the worst in England and Wales and what we want to see is support given to staff and management to make sure they can implement the changes to make Brinsford successful.

"We want to see it do well."