HALF of the inmates at HMP Pentonville report being bullied by staff and there have been three suicides so far this year in one of Britain’s most dangerous prisons, an inspection report reveals today.

“Comprehensive failures” at the north London jail were so bad that that inspectors invoked an urgent notification, giving then justice secretary Shabana Mahmood — who has since become Home Secretary — 28 days to respond with an action plan for improvement.

Campaigners described the findings as “a new low for an overcrowded and under-resourced public service that stands on the brink of collapse,” calling for a drastric reduction in the inmate population and significant government investment.

Inspectors said that 44 per cent of the men felt unsafe at the time of the inspection in June and July, while 50 per cent reported being bullied or victimised by staff.

Howard League for Penal Reform chief executive Andrea Coomber KC said: “It is no secret that large London local prisons such as Pentonville and Wandsworth face major problems, but the details in this report are appalling and represent a new low for an overcrowded and under-resourced public service that stands on the brink of collapse.”

Prison Officers Association general secretary Steve Gillan told the Morning Star: “Sadly, like many more inner-city prisons, Pentonville has suffered from a lack of investment over many years. It is a prison that has been neglected by governments over the last 15 years.”

He added that “another urgent notification from an outdated Chief Inspector of Prisons will do nothing to lift morale at the prison,” criticising inspection reports for “identifying the problems instead of identifying solutions.”