Prison hooch now costs more than premium Champagne after crackdown measures

03 June 2023 , 16:38

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Prison alcohol is now more expensive than premium Champagne (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Prison hooch is now dearer than premium Champagne after a crackdown sent prices soaring.

Security measures including sniffer dogs have pushed the average price to £80 a litre, while Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial costs £57 a litre in supermarkets.

Jail home brew doubled in price in a year, the Chief Inspector of Prisons said.

An inspector’s report into HMP Gartree in Leicestershire said: “The prison’s dedicated search team used a body scanner and search dogs efficiently in response to intelligence-led search requests. Staff estimated that 200 litres were discovered each month, with a value in prison of about £80 per litre.”

Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial costs £57 a litre in supermarkets (Morrisons)

Cons make the drink from fruit, sugar and yeast, brewing up to five litres per container. Left for up to five months, it can hit 40% ABV. Inmates buy the liquor with cash from jobs like cleaning or sorting library books for up to £25 a week.

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A source added: “Hooch has become a major problem. It leads to disorder and needs to be stamped out.”

Ministry of Justice data shows alcohol finds inside jails jumped from 1,368 in 2015/16 to 8,703 in 2021/22.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “Thanks to hardworking staff and our £100million security crackdown, we are finding and stopping more contraband than ever before.”

Stian Alexander