Russian jail builds replica ‘London’, complete with red phone boxes for inmates

The inmates in Siberian penal colony No 8, in the Novosibirsk region, are known for their creativity

Traditional red phone boxes are finding a new lease of life in Russia (Getty Images)

A Russian prison has built replica red British phone boxes and a mural of Big Ben, so inmates can stay in touch with their friends and their families.

The Russian prison service Gufsin shared images of red phone boxes which were made by Siberian prisoners and are in fact real. This means that inmates can stay in touch with the outside world as if they were in London.

The phone boxes even have phones with video links, making them somewhat more advanced than their British cousins, which have been left obsolete since the arrival of the smartphone.

Russians seem fond of English-style homes, lawns, pubs and shopping in London but the trend has now spread to penal colony No 8 in the Novosibirsk region.

Meanwhile the mural of Westminster was put up “to convey to the maximum the atmosphere of London,” said Gufsin online.

A spokesperson for Gufsin, Oleg Ogulya, told local website ngs.ru that inmates from the penal colony have a particular reputation for being artistic.

In the past, they have created a selection of items including small fountains and models of planes, rockets and industrial robots. These are all on display next to public buildings.

One Russian Twitter user commented jokingly on the project saying: “Mum, where’s my Dad? ... In London, son.”