Image copyright SWNS Image caption Inmates have taken over part of a wing inside the jail from where this picture is believed to have been sent

Sixty prisoners have taken control of part of a wing at a prison in Kent.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) said there was an "ongoing disturbance" at the category B training prison, HMP Swaleside, on the Isle of Sheppey.

Specialist "Tornado" teams have been deployed to tackle the unrest, the Prison Service said.

POA chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance was unclear, but it did not appear to be on the scale of a riot at HMP Birmingham last week.

Riot police were used to quell last Friday's disturbance, which lasted for 12 hours and involved hundreds of inmates.

'Tensions high'

A Prison Service spokesman said: "The Prison Service is dealing with an incident involving 60 prisoners at HMP Swaleside.

"The incident is contained to one landing on A Wing. The rest of the prison is secure with all prisoners in locked in cells."

Later, he added: "The situation at the prison remains contained and is in the process of being resolved."

Mr Rolfe described Swaleside as "a particularly difficult place to work" because of an "acute staff shortfall" and high levels of violence.

A man claiming to be an inmate there contacted the BBC to say the disturbance had started when staff raided cells and confiscated prisoners' possessions.

The unverified source said tension between inmates and prison officers had increased after an intake of young, inexperienced staff, and the cutting of family visits.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mick Rolfe, chairman of the Prison Officers Association, said Swaleside Prison was a "difficult place to work"

BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the disturbance had been contained but prisoners had refused to go back into their cells.

"Tornado" squads were also used to quell last week's riot in Birmingham, after prisoners set fires, stole keys to residential areas from a guard and one inmate was seriously injured.

Up to 240 prisoners were moved following the riot, but the Ministry of Justice has not commented on whether any were sent to Swaleside.

Image caption Vans have been seen arriving at the prison while the disturbance continues

Guardian prison correspondent Eric Allison said he had been told of problems at the prison during a recent research visit.

"The governor told me that it was a troubled jail," he said.

"He said that there were high levels of violence and access to and use of [formerly] legal highs".

However, Mr Allison said Swaleside, which houses about 1,100 inmates serving terms of more than four years, had some "innovative" education schemes.

An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in July described the prison as "dangerous" and found levels of violence were "far too high", with many of the incidents classed as serious.

'Unacceptably dangerous'

On Thursday, a former deputy prime minister and two former home secretaries called for the prison population of England and Wales to be cut to 45,000,

In a letter to the Times, Nick Clegg, Ken Clarke and Jacqui Smith said jails had become unacceptably dangerous.

They said inmate numbers had risen to more than 85,000 since Michael Howard declared in 1993 that "prison works".

Former Lib Dem leader and deputy PM Mr Clegg, ex-Conservative Home Secretary Mr Clarke and former Labour Home Secretary Mrs Smith said the recent violent unrest at Birmingham Prison was a "wake-up call for this country".

Latest unrest in England's prisons

Image caption A riot at Birmingham Prison lasted more than 12 hours</s>A Kent prison is on lockdown after 60 inmates are said to have taken control of a balcony.

Officials have said there is an “ongoing incident” at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey.

The Prison Officers Association chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance is unclear but fires have been lit.

He added: "There is an ongoing disturbance there (at Swaleside). We are not sure how bad it is yet but we understand 60 prisoners have taken control of 'A' wing there.

"Some fires have been lit, apparently, and basically we know that it's an ongoing incident."

HMP Swaleside has a capacity of around 1,100 inmates serving prison terms of more than four years. It has eight wings comprised of single cells.

An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in July described the prison as "dangerous" and found levels of violence were "far too high", with many of the incidents serious.

A survey found 69 per cent of inmates had felt unsafe at some point - a result which was significantly higher than at similar facilities.

More than half (52 per cent) of prisoners polled said it was easy or very easy to get drugs at the prison, while 45 per cent said the same about alcohol.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons also said the use of force was high, while the segregation unit was described as "filthy".

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “The Prison Service is dealing with an incident involving 60 prisoners at HMP Swaleside.

"The incident is contained to one landing on A Wing. The rest of the prison is secure with all prisoners in locked in cells.”</s>A riot has broken out at HMP Swaleside in Kent - amid claims an entire wing has been 'lost.'

Sixty inmates have taken control of a wing at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, the Prison Officers Association said.

The prison was described as "dangerous" - and "not safe" - by inspectors as recent as this July.

In a damning report, levels of violence were deemed to be "far too high".

HM Inspectorate of Prisons described the use of force as high - while the segregation unit was said to be "filthy".

More than two-thirds of inmates described having felt unsafe at some point - significantly higher than at similar prisons.

More than half claimed it was "easy" or "very easy" to get drugs at the prison - with 45% claiming the same about alcohol.

We are bringing you live updates on the incident below:</s>Prison guards are working to control a disturbance involving 60 inmates at HMP Swaleside.

Prisoners have taken control of a landing on a wing at the category B training prison on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

Prison Officers Association (POA) chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance was unclear but fires had been lit.

Specially trained guards known as “Tornado” squads have been deployed to Swaleside, the Prison Service said.

It added that the incident has been contained to a landing on a single wing and the rest of the prison is secure, with inmates safely locked away.

It is the fourth major disturbance at an English prison in less than two months, coming a week after hundreds of inmates rioted at Birmingham prison.

Mr Rolfe said: “There is an ongoing disturbance there (at Swaleside). Some fires have been lit, apparently, and basically we know that it’s an ongoing incident.”

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “The Prison Service is dealing with an incident involving 60 prisoners at HMP Swaleside. The incident is contained to one landing on A Wing. The rest of the prison is secure with all prisoners in locked in cells.”

HMP Swaleside has a capacity of around 1,100 inmates serving prison terms of more than four years. It has eight wings comprised of single cells.

Swaleside was condemned by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) in July, which described it in a report as “dangerous”, with levels of violence that were “far too high” and many incidents of a serious nature.

A survey found 69% of inmates felt unsafe at some point – a result which was significantly higher than at similar facilities.

More than half (52%) of prisoners polled said it was easy or very easy to get drugs at the prison, while 45% said the same about alcohol.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons also said the use of force was high, while the segregation unit was described as “filthy”.

The A wing of the prison houses the Open Academy, a study centre with a computer suite.

At the time of the HMIP report, inspectors said it was used by 50 of the 126 prisoners on the wing, who were enrolled on open and distance learning courses.

The incident is the latest in a series of prison disturbances that have piled pressure on Justice Secretary Liz Truss.

Last week, hundreds of inmates rioted for more than 12 hours at Birmingham prison, one of the country’s biggest jails.

Some 240 prisoners were transferred from the prison but it is understood none were taken to Swaleside.

Prisoners set fires, stole keys to residential areas from a guard and one inmate was seriously injured in a major disturbance on December 16.

On November 6 about 200 inmates went on the rampage at HMP Bedford just days after a national response unit had to be brought in to control prisoners after a six-hour incident at HMP Lewes in East Sussex.</s>Sixty inmates have reportedly taken control of a wing at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) said there is an "ongoing disturbance" at the category B training prison.

POA chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance is unclear but fires have been lit.

HMP Swaleside has a capacity of around 1,100 inmates serving prison terms of more than four years. It has eight wings comprised of single cells.

An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in July described the prison as "dangerous" and found levels of violence were "far too high", with many of the incidents serious.

Last week, hundreds of inmates rioted for more than 12 hours at Birmingham prison, one of the country's biggest jails.</s>Prisoners have taken control of part of a wing at a prison in Kent with between 60 and 80 inmates involved.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) said there was an "ongoing disturbance" at the category B training prison HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey.

The Prison Service said it was dealing with "an incident" contained to a landing on the jail's A Wing.

POA chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance was unclear but fires had been lit.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "The Prison Service is dealing with an incident involving 60 prisoners at HMP Swaleside.

"The incident is contained to one landing on A Wing. The rest of the prison is secure with all prisoners in locked in cells."

The BBC's Home Affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the disturbance had now been contained but prisoners were refusing to go back into their cells.

He said at least 60 and possibly as many as 80 inmates were involved.

Specially trained guards known as "Tornado" squads have been deployed to Swaleside, the Prison Service said.

The squads were also used to quell a riot last week when inmates rioted for more than 12 hours at Birmingham prison.

Prisoners set fires, stole keys to residential areas from a guard and one inmate was seriously injured.

Up to 240 prisoners were moved following the riot, but the Ministry of Justice has not commented on whether any were shipped to Swaleside.

The prison has a capacity of about 1,100 inmates serving terms of more than four years.

The category B facility gives inmates access to education and training.

An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in July described the prison as "dangerous" and found levels of violence were "far too high", with many of the incidents classed as serious.
• HMP Birmingham - 16 December - Specialist riot squads were deployed after a riot broke out involving hundreds of inmates and lasting more than 12 hours.
• HMP Bedford - 6 November - A riot saw up to 200 inmates go on the rampage, flooding the jail's gangways.
• HMP Lewes - 29 October - A national response unit had to be brought in to control the prisoners at the East Sussex jail during a disturbance which lasted for six hours.</s>Prison Officers Association said there is an 'ongoing disturbance' at category B training prison.

Sixty inmates have reportedly taken control of a wing at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) said there is an "ongoing disturbance" at the category B training prison.

POA chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance is unclear but fires have been lit.

HMP Swaleside has a capacity of around 1,100 inmates serving prison terms of more than four years. It has eight wings comprised of single cells.

An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in July described the prison as "dangerous" and found levels of violence were "far too high", with many of the incidents serious.</s>Around 60 inmates have reportedly taken control of a wing at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) said there is an "ongoing disturbance" at the category B training prison.

POA chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance is unclear but fires have been lit.</s>Unrest at HMP Swaleside involving 60 inmates has now been isolated to one landing in the prison's A wing, after specialist riot officers were called in, the Prison Officers Association has confirmed.

Inmates took control of a wing of the Category B training prison this evening (22 December) causing an "ongoing disturbance."

A spokesperson for the Prison Service has said: "The incident in contained to one landing on A wing. The rest of the prison is secure with all prisoners locked in cells."

A specialist Tornado Squad were called in, with officers drafted from across the south east to prevent the disturbance spreading to other wings of the prison.

Earlier, the Prison Officers Association chairman Mike Rolfe said that inmates had started fires amid scenes of rioting.

According to The Telegraph, Rolfe said: "There is an ongoing disturbance there (at Swaleside). We are not sure how bad it is yet but we understand 60 prisoners have taken control of 'A' wing there. Some fires have been lit, apparently, and basically we know that it's an ongoing incident."

The disturbance has been described by some media as an act of "co-ordinated unrest".

HMP Swaleside, on the Isle of Sheppey, has eight wings comprised of single cells with a capacity of around 1,100 inmates. Almost 500 of the inmates are serving life.

An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in July described the prison as "dangerous" and found a high incidence of violence. It said 69% of prisoners "had felt unsafe at some time while at Swaleside, a result which was significantly higher than at similar prisons".

The Swaleside incident is the fifth disturbance at an English prison in less than two months following riots at HMP Lewes, HMP Bedford, HMP Moorland, and HMP Birmingham.

Last week 600 prisoners were involved in a 12-hour stand-off with specialist riot officers at HMP Birmingham, one of the country's biggest jails. Prison staff at the privately-run institution lost control of all four wings after an officer was "rushed" by inmates.

In October an inmate was stabbed to death and two others injured at Pentonville in north London.</s>The Prison Officers Association (POA) said lags have taken over the 'A' wing of the category B men's jail on the Isle of Sheppey. POA chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance is unclear, but it is understood the prisoners have lit fires. It comes less than a week after a major riot at HMP Birmingham, which is believed to have involved up to 600 prisoners.

Mr Rolfe said: "There is an ongoing disturbance at Swaleside. "We are not sure how bad it is yet but we understand 60 prisoners have taken control of 'A' wing there. "Some fires have been lit, apparently, and basically we know that it's an ongoing incident."

The scene at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent where a disturbance is under way

This summer a damning official report branded the prison "dangerous" and found levels of violence were "far too high". HM Inspectorate of Prisons also said the use of force was high, while the segregation unit was described as "filthy". Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said: "On the basis of the very clear evidence before us, Swaleside was not a safe prison."

A spokeswoman told Express.co.uk: "The Prison Service is dealing with an incident involving 60 prisoners at HMP Swaleside. "The incident is contained to one landing on A Wing. The rest of the prison is secure with all prisoners in locked in cells."
As many as 80 inmates take over a section of HM Prison Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent.