600 Prisoners Start Riot, Take Over Birmingham Prison, Riot Police Sent In

A riot involving hundreds of inmates has raged for about 12 hours at a city prison.

Trouble flared at privately-run HMP Birmingham after an officer was “rushed” by inmates. G4S said the Prison Service took over the incident due to the scale of the disturbance. All four wings of the prison were secured after a number of officers armed with riot shields entered, the BBC understands.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) said 260 prisoners were initially involved, but the figure climbed to nearer 600. A prisoner injured earlier in the day was removed, the BBC understands. There were unconfirmed reports he was stabbed but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

A number of specialist Tornado riot teams were seen entering the category B jail, which houses 1,450 prisoners. Teams from prisons across the country were also called in to help bring the situation under control. The BBC was contacted by several men claiming to be prisoners at the jail who said poor conditions were behind the disturbance.

BBC News reporter Ben Godfrey, who is at the scene, said smoke had been seen coming from the jail, but he had been told it was in the prison yard. There were also reports of a second fire within the compound.

Unverified photos purporting to show scenes from the disturbance have been circulated on social media. In one picture, two men can be seen wearing riot helmets and gesturing towards the camera. The men, who said they were calling the BBC from inside the jail, cited inadequate staff numbers, poor healthcare and nutrition, and being on “lockdown” in their cells all day as major factors that contributed to the trouble.

Prisoner Andrew Nicholls, who was released on Friday described the condition he experienced while serving his sentence. “There’s no staff, too much Mamba, (a psychoactive drug) and people are dying. “I’ve seen someone hang themselves outside my cell. It’s terrible – 24-hour lock-up most times. There’s two officers for four floors.” G4S denied claims staffing levels were too low. It said the prison was “run with the required amount of staff” and there had been “no curtailment” in the regime in recent weeks.