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Prisoners fight over bad smells as laundry breaks

Getty Images A female prison officer wearing black uniform locks white gates inside a prison.Getty Images
Some inmates complained their laundry had not been washed for almost two months

Fights broke out among prisoners after broken washing machines caused them to smell bad, a report revealed.

Cell mates came to blows at HMP Chelmsford, Essex, over a "perceived lack of hygiene" as the issue raged on for three months in 2024.

Prison leaders had to send laundry 146 miles (234km) away to HMP Ranby in Nottinghamshire to tackle the crisis.

A Prison Service spokeswoman said the temporary disruption was resolved through "swift action" to install new boilers and washing machines.

The prison's laundry issues were outlined in a report by its independent monitoring board.

Inmates complained to staff after the washing machines broke down on 23 February.

Prisoners standing on a balcony inside HMP Chelmsford look down at a fellow inmate leaning on a blue table tennis table, with a guard walking behind him.
Non-confrontational prisoners were afraid they would be harmed during the laundry crisis, the report said

Tensions were then heightened in April when some prisoners said they "had not had a kit change in seven weeks".

"In this instance, wing staff were not collecting the bussed-in clean washing from the out-of-service laundry," the report author wrote.

"The knock-on effect of this was to cause trouble in the wing population, with some men getting into and/or fearing getting into altercations with their cell mates through a perceived lack of hygiene."

General population inmates on C wing were worst affected, while vulnerable and enhanced prisoners on G wing also suffered.

Google HMP Chelmsford seen from the street. It has large brick walls and has cars parked outside. There is a silver sign that reads "HMP & YOI Chelmsford".Google
HMP Chelmsford is a Victorian prison built almost 200 years ago

Concerns were also raised in the report about a lack of hot showers and mould near the washing facilities in B and C wings.

However, the author said "maintenance is not going to solve the issue of the age" of the almost 200-year-old prison.

The Prison Service spokeswoman said disruption to hot water was a temporary issue.

She added there was "no evidence that there has been an increase in incidents due to a lack of or perceived lack of hygiene".

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