'There are more drugs in there than out here... the place is on its a**e' - Released inmate describes 'dire' conditions at Forest Bank

As police launched a huge new operation to stop the tidal wave of drugs being smuggled into jails, one inmate, George Cooper, walked out of HMP Forest Bank and described the task facing them.

George, 31, from Buxton, spoke to the Manchester Evening News moments after being released on Wednesday morning. He said he had been released on licence after serving a 16-week sentence for breaching a restraining order.

Asked about conditions inside the jail, he said: "It's f***ing dire. They don't give a f***, the officers inside. They don't care."

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He went on: "There are more drugs in there than out here. You can get anything, cocaine, heroin, spice. They call spice 'fish' inside. It's diabolical. There's no rehabilitation in this place, not a chance. The place is on its a**e. The place has been run into the ground. They should knock it down."

George said during a previous sentence he had served at HMP Forest Bank during the Covid pandemic prisoners would be allowed out of their cells regularly in the morning and then in the afternoon. He said now prisoners are 'banged up' for 22 hours each day, a claim denied by prison officials.

Asked whether he supported the government's early release scheme to ease prison overcrowding, George said he was 'not into that at all', adding that 'a lot of domestic abusers' were being allowed out.

"Women are at risk," he said.

As he walked away to freedom, all around him were police officers trying to tackle the very problem he had described. Police dogs were sniffing around the high perimeter wall and police patrol cars, kitted with automatic number plate recognition cameras, were parked up in the approach to the prison.

The media, invited to witness the public launch of the op, watched as one car - the driver seeing the police presence - carried out a swift u-turn and sped away, followed immediately by police cars with their blues and twos activated. The police helicopter was also soon overhead amid a pursuit which topped 70mph.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police later confirmed that the car was suspected to have been stolen. The car was abandoned and the driver fled but a suspect was later detained with the help of a police dog, the spokesman confirmed.

At Strangeways, police and sniffer dogs searched staff and their cars on their way into work, including Governor Robert Knight. A police drone was also launched to help officers survey movements around the prison.

A decision on whether to renew the contract Sodexo has to run Forest Bank prison is due imminently. It runs out on January 19

The Manchester Evening News' investigation last year, based on allegations from a whistle-blower, an ex-prisoner and his father, and the family of a grandfather who died in his cell, exposed what Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long-Bailey branded a 'culture of lawlessness' at the jail.

The M.E.N. revealed that:

• Drugs are rife, smuggled in via 'legal letters' and inmates are 'off their t**s a lot of the time'
• Inmates brew their own hooch
• Violence is commonplace and inmates 'run the wings'
• Staff feel 'unsafe' and a lone guard can be 'left to guard 100-plus inmates'
• Staff have to buy 'their own uniform because of cost-cutting'
• A desperate father paid off a drug dealer on his addict son's wing because 'staff didn't protect him'

Earlier this month a scathing report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons exposed the 'catastrophic' level of illicit drugs available inside HMP Manchester, known as Strangeways.

An HMP Forest Bank spokesperson said: “The possession of illicit items such as drugs in any prison is illegal and we constantly review our activity to tackle the issue, as safety and security are our top priorities. Our staff deploy a range of tactics to stop prohibited items from being introduced to the prison. This collaborative work with Greater Manchester Police is delivering the right outcomes to keep those who live and work in the prison safe from illegal activity.”

Addressing comments made by George Cooper, the spokesperson added: "HMP Forest Bank services the needs of the Greater Manchester courts while managing a complex population at the front end of the prison system.

"Over the last twelve months, conveyance and violence have decreased, making HMP Forest Bank a safer community for staff and prisoners. We are however fully open to listen and discuss any concerns that are being raised at local level.”