HMP Birmingham riot: Inmates 'will face full force of the law' Justice Secretary Liz Truss warns

The disturbance has been described as the worst riot at a British prison for decades

Justice Secretary Liz Truss (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

Rioters at HMP Birmingham will “face the full force of the law”, Justice Secretary Liz Truss has warned.

A riot lasting 12 hours broke out at the jail yesterday, involving up to 600 inmates. Riot teams were dispatched to restore order and said they managed to do so shortly after 22:30 on Friday. At least one inmate was injured and was taken to hospital for treatment after sustaining a fractured jaw and broken eye socket.

The disturbance began after an officer was “rushed” by multiple inmates at the jail, which is run by private security company G4S.

The chaotic incident is said to have come following months of unease about resources and conditions inside the jail.

The Prison Officers Association said the riot was the worst of its kind since the Strangeways jail riot of 1990. National Chairman Mike Rolfe said: “We've been warning for a long time about the crisis in prisons and what we are seeing at Birmingham is not unique to Birmingham, but it certainly would seem that this is the most recent worst incident since the 1990 Strangeways riot.”

Ms Truss has pledged a “thorough investigation” to establish the cause of the incident and ensure it was not repeated. She said: ”I want to pay tribute to the bravery and dedication of the prison officers who resolved this disturbance.

“This was a serious situation and a thorough investigation will now be carried out. Violence in our prisons will not be tolerated and those responsible will face the full force of the law.“

Recent months have seen mounting criticism of resources for jails, including reduced staffing levels, increased inmate overcrowding and financial cuts. Last month, prison officers went on strike to protest conditions. They returned to work after a High Court injunction ordered them to cease the action.

In October, a riot in a Bedford prison saw almost £1m worth of damage to jail resources.