'Cushy' life inside for prisoners

Glyn Travis, assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, denied that his claim was simply an attempt to put political pressure on the Government to increase staffing levels, which the union says are dangerously low because of under-funding.

Mr Travis said members of the public had been breaking into one jail in Yorkshire by climbing over its fence to deliver drugs and mobile phones to inmates. And he said other cases had been uncovered of prostitutes entering open jails to service clients.

He appeared to accept that prison officers had lost control of jails, admitting that there were "no-go areas" in some institutions where inmates have "complete control".

Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether it was the case that "prison officers are not in control of our prisons, prisoners can do pretty much what they like - including escape - but they don't want to escape because life is so cushy", Mr Travis replied: "Unfortunately, you have summed that up pretty much well accurately."

He added: "We have got no-go areas in certain prisons because prisoners have got complete control. There is not sufficient staff, there is no interaction between staff.

"We have got a serious crisis in our prisons today, but unfortunately prisons are not a vote-winner, so we are a soft target for the Government to force its fiscal policy on public servants."

Mr Travis cited a security breach at the low-security category C Everthorpe Prison near Brough, in East Yorkshire, where ladders were used to scale the fence and deliver drugs and phones to inmates.

Mr Travis denied his claims were simply intended to put pressure on the Government to increase staffing levels.

"We are after a safe and secure system that the public can have confidence in," he said. "It is not anything to do with a political statement. What we are saying is that the public deserve to have safe and secure prisons."