Thirty men share just one shower. Drugs are 'easy to get'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

More than a quarter of inmates at HMP Buckley Hall are 'active drug takers' while levels of violence and self-harm are on the increase, an inspection has found.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons said it found evidence of a 'slow but perceptible decline' at the Rochdale jail. The watchdog said despite being just 30 years old, many of the prison buildings were 'not aging well'.

Too many inmates live in cramped conditions and many cells were 'shabby' and 'grubby'. But Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said many of the problems were 'clearly identifiable and easily arrestable' adding: "Despite the challenges of recent years our assessments at this inspection remained encouraging." READ MORE: Nursery worker Kate Roughley found guilty of manslaughter of baby girl The Prison Service said staff were 'working hard' to clamp down on drugs entering the prison, while the heads of safety, drug strategy and security were holding regular meetings to establish which measures have been the most effective in reducing self-harm and violence.

Buckley Hall, a category C training prison, has a normal capacity of 409 inmates, but at the time of the inspection from February 12-23 it held 465 prisoners.