BEDBUGS CLOSE TWO PLACES AT HMP WAYLAND

The Ministry of Justice says 3,792 prison places are out of use across England and Wales for reasons including fire safety work, damp and infestations. Prisons minister Catherine McKinnell told shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy in a written parliamentary answer that bedbugs had taken two places out of use at HMP Wayland as of 19 October. HMP Wayland is near Thetford in Norfolk. The closures add to pressure on a prison system that is using early releases to ease overcrowding.

A recently released prisoner said in July that he had been “detained in a cell infested by bedbugs” at HMP Wayland. The Prison Service said at the time that a limited outbreak had affected four cells and that staff had dealt with it quickly. Specialist teams also attended HMP Holme House, where at least three cells were reportedly affected. Ministry of Justice figures list 2,255 places out of use for fire safety improvements, 236 because of damp, mould or leaks, and 162 because of damage by prisoners.

The figures also attribute 20 unavailable places at HMP Hull and HMP Lincoln to Legionella bacteria. They list another 60 places in Northumberland as unusable because of asbestos. HMP Dartmoor has remained closed since 2024 because of radon gas. The early release scheme schedules about 5,000 prisoners for release in stages over the next year as the government seeks to reduce overcrowding.