DRONES and drugs flowing into HMP Garth are causing a serious threat to safety, turning the jail into an airport, the inspectorate of prisons reveals.

The watchdog found that the prison is facing major security issues from access to drugs and a breakdown in safety and security, with around a 45 per cent increase in violence and many prisoners needing protection because of drug-related debt.

Prisoners were burning holes in their windows to allow the entry of drones laden with contraband and the smell of cannabis was rife.

Sixty-three per cent of men surveyed said it was easy to get hold of drugs with one, referring to the sheer number of drones coming into the prison, saying the jail had become an “airport.”

The prison’s response to the threat had been inadequate, inspectors said.

Inspectors also found high levels of staff sickness, insufficient training and an unwillingness to challenge prisoner rule-breaking.

Prison Reform Trust chief executive Pia Sinha said the government “needs to urgently get a grip of this crisis.”

She said: “In addition to tackling overcrowding, it needs to resource prisons appropriately and give governors the necessary authority and autonomy to make decisions that will help them find solutions to these operational problems.

“Whether this is about recruitment, retention or procurement, prison leaders need the freedom to find local solutions, together with the cover and resource from the regional team to enable them to do so.”

Howard League for Penal Reform chief executive Andrea Coomber KC said: “The situation in Garth is indicative of problems across the prison system and speaks to why a major overhaul is desperately needed.

“We simply should not tolerate prisons that cannot offer a full regime that takes people out of their cells and into purposeful activity.”