Inside Strangeways, the drug-ridden rat-infested prison 'run by gangs'

Despite a re-build following the infamous riots of 1990, Strangeways prison remains a crumbling Victorian monument to a grim past showing all its 156 years. No wonder the council wants it demolished.

If anyone who lives in Manchester needed reminding, the point was hammered home in one of the most shockingly brutal official exposes this week about life inside the infamous jail on the outskirts of Manchester city centre.

It may be only three pages long, but HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor used words like 'squalid' and 'filthy' to describe conditions in the rat-infested prison - and 'catastrophic' for the torrent of illicit drugs available inside.

READ MORE: The key Strangeways findings from shocking report as horrific reality of life inside 'squalid' jail revealed

Phrases such as 'fundamentally unsafe' and 'unstable' were also used to describe HMP Manchester. Mr Taylor labelled the prison 'amongst the most violent' in the UK.

Organised crime gangs and the supply of drugs are 'clearly undermining every aspect of prison life', he added. The number of weapons and illicit items uncovered during the watchdog's visit last month was among the highest of all adult male prisons.

More than half the inmates at the high security category A jail - which can house more than 700 men - reported they felt unsafe. Staff morale was 'low', Mr Taylor wrote.

Many of the jail's windows were smashed and inmates were reduced to ripping foam from their mattresses to push into window frames to keep out the cold, said the report.

The situation was so bad the inspector published an 'urgent' improvement notice he had sent to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Even more concerning was the watchdog's assertion that there had been 'little progress in addressing our previous concerns' from a previous inspection in 2021.

In a letter to Shabana Mahmood MP, Mr Taylor said a 'concerning decline' had been found since the last inspection, adding prison bosses had 'made little progress in addressing our previous concerns'.

"Organised criminal activity, serious violence, widespread drug use and staff who lacked confidence and capability have led to an unstable environment," he said.

Mr Taylor said: "This was a very difficult inspection with my team shocked by the level of decline they found in Manchester. The prison was fundamentally not safe enough for those living and working in there.

"Drugs present a critical threat to the security of our prisons and it was very disappointing to see that some key measures in the physical security of a prison like Manchester, holding many men with known links to organised crime, were inadequate.

"The prison service must act urgently to address this and to support staff to manage a very challenging population of prisoners."

'Access to drugs with apparent ease'

Strangeways has always been in the news, but it's not always because of the serious criminals and murderers housed there. A report published in May last year revealed socks, clothes and boxer shorts were 'impregnated' with highly toxic drugs after being sent into Strangeways for inmates to smoke. They were said to have been dipped in 'psychoactive substances' or fentanyl on the outside then, once inside, ripped up into pieces and sold on to inmates.

A number of prisoners are said to have collapsed on one occasion, revealed the report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, which investigates deaths in custody. Jamie Tate, who was found dead in his cell at Strangeways on March 14, 2021, may have been supplied with socks soaked in drugs, the report added.

Ombudsman Sue McAllister, who compiled the report after investigators spoke to prisoners and staff following Mr Tate's death, said she was concerned that he 'appears to have been able to access illicit drugs with apparent ease' at HMP Manchester, a sentiment echoed in the latest report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons.

One prisoner, known as 'Mr B' in the ombudsman's report, told investigators Mr Tate 'would take whatever psychoactive substances he could get' and paid off debts by handing over purchases he made from the prison's tuck shop. The inmate told a prison officer after the tragedy that Mr Tate got his drugs 'in a parcel of socks' from another inmate - named only as 'Mr A'.

In August, the Manchester Evening News reported how Strangeways prison officer Claire Lloyd, a mother-of-four, was jailed after engaging in a ‘romantic relationship’ with an armed robber inmate who she described as being her 'soulmate'. The 47-year-old was locked up for eight months for misconduct in a public office, after becoming embroiled in an inappropriate relationship with Andrew Hall.

The couple exchanged hundreds of phone calls and text messages, with some calls lasting up to two hours. Lloyd turned a blind eye to the fact that Hall was using an illicit phone in jail. Hall, of HMP Garth, pleaded guilty to intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence. Hall was serving an extended prison sentence of 14 years after carrying out an armed robbery at a bank in Derbyshire in 2015.

In July, the M.E.N. reported the jailing of Strangeways prison officer Raymond Cook after he lied under oath at an inquest into the death of an inmate. Cook, 54, was working at HMP Manchester when remand inmate, John Ahmed, died following a 'restraint incident' in the prison’s segregation unit on July 29, 2015.

The jury at the inquest ruled that the restraint was an 'unlawful use of force'. Having heard the evidence given by Cook, which conflicted with his earlier accounts, the coroner referred the matter to Greater Manchester Police to investigate. He denied perjury and forgery but was convicted following a trial.

These stories suggested a lawless prison in crisis. However, much more happens behind bars than is ever reported.

In December last year, relatives of inmates contacted the M.E.N. to express concern about an alleged lockdown. Prison officials at the time refused to confirm or deny the claims.

One relative said inmates were locked up for six days 'with no showers'. "Prisons should not be able to treat people like this," they added.

A second relative also got in touch, alleging the prison was in lockdown 'with no showers, no going out for meals or medications'. The M.E.N. put these concerns to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) at the time.

A spokesperson did not directly address concerns about the treatment of prisoners nor confirm or deny the reports of a lockdown. They said: "In our efforts to keep staff and prisoners safe, we regularly carry out prison-wide searches to tackle contraband like drugs and mobile phones. Prisoners' access to meals and medication continues throughout as does our response to emergencies."

The M.E.N. invited the MoJ to comment again on the claims from December. Manchester council has long said it would like HMP Manchester to be demolished and relocated so it can press ahead with plans to redevelop the area.

'An old, decrepit, Victorian prison in a state of disrepair'

The problem comes down to money, according to the Prison Governors Association which on Friday said Strangeways is 'an old, decrepit, Victorian prison in a state of disrepair' that needs 'huge investment' - but there's no money to fix it.

The association, which represents senior prison managers in England and Wales, today said they were 'not shocked' by the results of a damming report, claiming essential maintenance work planned for Strangeways and other prisons has been 'paused' over budget constraints.

Following publication of Mr Taylors's urgent improvement notice, the MoJ insisted work had already begun to address his concerns, including more training for staff and improve security. It will publish its full action plan within a month.

Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson, admitted the state of the prison system was 'shocking', but stressed new Labour government had 'inherited' the mess from the previous Conservative regimes.

She said: "Reports such as this have become far too common. They typify the shocking state of the prison system we have inherited. Every day our dedicated staff do vital work keeping the public safe. They deserve better than being faced with conditions such as these and the constant threat of violence.

"That is why this Government took immediate action to end the overcrowding crisis engulfing our jails. We will now continue the hard work of ensure prisons like HMP Manchester become places that create better citizens and not better criminals.

"The Governor and his team continue to do a great job in very difficult circumstances and are already working to address the inspectors’ concerns. We will publish an action plan in the coming weeks to deliver the urgent improvements needed at the prison. I will be keeping a close eye on progress."

The leader of Manchester council, Coun Bev Craig, said: "We consistently raised the challenges of Strangeways, and it’s outdated under invested in estate with the last Government. We also made the wider case for the closure and relocation of Strangeways prison and this latest inspection report only underlines the urgency of this.

"The Grade Il-listed Victorian building provides poor conditions and is not suitable for the kind of modernisation which is so badly-needed. The only appropriate option is a newbuild alternative. For many reasons, we do not believe the city centre is the right place for a prison.

"Relocating it would also open up new opportunities to transform the surrounding area for the better. At the moment its city centre location acts as a barrier to growth and development which could bring new jobs, much-needed houses and green space."