Inside hell-hole prison dubbed 'the no-toilet jail' where inmates use bottles

10 October 2023 , 14:30

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More than half of prisoners at HMP Coldingley prison, in Bisley, Surrey, live in cramped wings without in-cell sinks and toilets which are standard in nearly all other jails, a report found (Image: PA)

A hellish men's jail has been branded "the no-toilet prison" where inmates use bottles instead, according to a watchdog.

More than half of prisoners at HMP Coldingley lived in cramped wings built in the 1960s, without in-cell sinks and toilets which are standard in nearly all other jails. The gruelling conditions were revealed by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) which said it was "shocked at the worsening and unhygienic state of its decrepit sanitation".

Basic sanitation are failing in the old wings of the Category C prison where some toilet areas left completely unusable, according to the annual report. "Prisoners are seeking alternatives and faeces and bottles of urine turn up daily in the rubbish sorted by the prison recycling facility," the IMB said.

Basic sanitation are failing at the prison's old wings, according to the annual report (Corbis via Getty Images)

"Prisoners are seeking alternatives and faeces and bottles of urine turn up daily in the rubbish sorted by the prison recycling facility," the IMB said (@emmaoz2010/Twitter)

"Leaking toilet bases, sinks and pipework, blockages, a lack of toilet seats or lids, poor ventilation and inadequate cleaning and cleaning equipment supplies have led to more and more residents bypassing the system altogether and using pots or other receptacles on the affected wings." The report described the situation as "both a disgrace and a health hazard that those who work in recycling now have to sift through human waste".

The gruelling conditions were revealed by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) which said it was "shocked at the worsening and unhygienic state of its decrepit sanitation" (Corbis via Getty Images)

A refurbishment plan is underway to provide in-cell sanitation at the prison, in Bisley, Surrey, but this will not be completed until 2026 at the earliest, according to the file. "In the meantime, many prisoners will continue to live in unhygienic conditions," it added.

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The IMB highlighted that there have been "serious challenges" in maintaining effective CCTV due to the low ceilings on some wings, compromising both prisoner and staff safety. It also warned that illicitly brewed hooch posed a "significant" hygiene and health concern because of the use of unsterilised utensils. A plague of flies was reported because of fermenting hooch.

Overalls thrown on the shelf at the end of a shift in the engineering workshop at Coldingley prison (Corbis via Getty Images)

"Worryingly there now is evidence that some of the hooch is being distilled into much stronger forms of alcohol," the IMB added. "Spice" was also being produced inside the prison. IMB Coldingley chairman, Mark Judd, said: "Coldingley has many positives, not least its staffing and strong sense of community.

The IMB highlighted that there have been "serious challenges" in maintaining effective CCTV due to the low ceilings on some wings (Corbis via Getty Images)

"But much of the ageing infrastructure is falling apart. Men call it 'the no-toilet prison'. The state of some facilities we have seen lately is disgraceful. It is inhumane for men to have to wait so long for eventual refurbishment in such conditions."

Laura Sharman