A BROMSGROVE woman, who was invited to tour prisons in Russia, has described her experience as "a real eye opener".

Tricia Bradbury, who is chairperson for the board of visitors at HMP Blakenhurst, jetted off to Russia as part of a Home Office delegation to advise on human rights for prisoners.

She was one of a group of four representatives, who included two civil servants from the Home Office. They spoke to members of the Russian parliament about the role of the board of visitors.

The panel visited three different prisons, one for women and two for men. One of the prisons in Moscow holds more than 3,700 prisoners.

"We know that in England and Wales prison is overcrowded and that cells often designed for one person often accommodate two. However, in Russia the overcrowding is such that prisoners frequently have to share a bed and take it in turns to sleep.

"Cells designed for eight can be packed with up to 30 prisoners with just a hole in the corner for a lavatory. Showers are only allowed once a week," the Belbroughton resident said.

She also held some conversations with prisoners through an interpreter and found out some of them did not know why they were being held.

"There is obviously much work to be done in making the Russian system more humane and huge resources will be needed as well as the new positive attitude that our delegation experienced," she said later.

Russian officials will be coming to Britain in October where they will be touring prisons in the area.