ERLESTOKE Prison says it has recruited more prison officers to help inmates with mental health issues after a national drive to improve conditions in British prisons hit the headlines again last weekend.

Secretary of State for Justice, David Lidington MP, criticised the state of prisons at the weekend, saying current conditions are ‘unacceptable’. The justice secretary said more needs to be done to stop mobile phones and illegal drugs being smuggled into prisons, and to reduce violence and self-harm among prisoners.

The comments came just weeks after Wiltshire Gazette & Herald published claims by the partner of an inmate at Erlestoke who said she feared for her boyfriend’s safety.

The woman, who remained unnamed, said her boyfriend “does not feel safe either in or out of his cell. He said it is clear that it is the prisoners who run this prison and not the staff.”

The Ministry of Justice said in a statement: “HMP Erlestoke has taken a number of steps to improve prison safety and additional prison officers have been recruited to provide specialist support for prisoners with mental health issues.

“These measures, along with the urgent action taken to stabilise the estate by tackling the drugs, drones and phones that undermine security, will help reduce crime, create fewer victims and safer communities.”