STANDARDS have “collapsed” at Manchester prison, which is plagued by drugs, violence and rat infestations, inspectors found today.

The prison inspectorate warned HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways, is in desperate need of improvement and issued an urgent notification letter to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood over the squalid conditions at the notorious jail.

They found a “steep rise” in self-harm and that violence is so rampant it has the highest rate of serious assaults in England and Wales.

It also found there were “significant weaknesses” in the provision of education, training and work, and that only 19 per cent of prisoners had left their wing to attend a “purposeful activity.”

Shockingly, it reported that 39 per cent of prisoners tested positive for drug use.

Inspectors discovered chronic rodent infestations and that many cell windows were smashed, with prisoners forced to rip up foam from mattresses to push into the frames to stop the cold from getting in. 

It said that staff morale was “low” with new officers assigned to work with aggressive offenders and inexperienced staff struggling to manage or challenge poor behaviour.  

Andrew Neilson, from the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Drugs are a scourge in prison, leading to debt and ultimately violence and self-harm.”

He called for well-trained staff to get men out of their cells to help them live healthily and reduce demand for drugs.

POA assistant general secretary Mick Pimblett said: “Every day our members do vital work keeping the public safe despite their poor working environment, which is the most dangerous in western Europe. 

“Our members deserve better than being faced with conditions such as these alongside the constant threat of violence.”

“The POA hope that this new government takes immediate action to address our concerns, and this can only be done through investment. 

“Restoring our members’ right to strike and take industrial action will assist the government in their aims as our members are the solution, and not the cause of these problems.”

Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said an action plan to deliver urgent improvements would be published in the coming weeks.