Long Lartin prison: Inmates take over wing at high security jail

Specialist prison officers have been deployed to a high security jail after officers retreated from a wing when they came under attack.

About 10 prisoners are currently involved in the disturbance at HMP Long Lartin, in Worcestershire.

A prison officer was hurt as inmates caused damage to a building and attacked staff with pool balls.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said "specialist staff" had been deployed "to manage an ongoing incident".

The trained unit, known as a Tornado team, is brought in to manage riots.

"We are absolutely clear that prisoners who behave in this way will be punished and face extra time behind bars," an MoJ spokeswoman said.

The injured officer has gone to hospital after indirectly sustaining a minor injury.

Earlier reports said 70 prisoners were involved in the disorder.

Prison Officers' Association general secretary Steve Gillan tweeted: "At moment we do not know all the facts but we fully support all our members at Long Lartin who are clearly facing a difficult evening with a disturbance."

The prison holds more than 500 of the country's most "dangerous and serious" male offenders, according to a 2018 report from HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.

At the time of the inspection around a quarter of inmates were Category A, the highest security classification, and more than 75% were serving life sentences.

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