PRISONERS at two Worcestershire prisons are being kept in cells without flushing toilets.
The Prison Service is currently fighting a legal bid which could force the Government to spend millions of pounds upgrading the jails.
Convicted paedophile Roger Gleaves claims the lack of an in-cell toilet was a breach of his human rights and has taken his case to the High Court in London.
Slopping out was officially abolished in the UK in 1996, but 2,000 cells at 10 prisons in the UK – including Long Lartin in Evesham and Hewell (Brockhill) in Redditch – still have no in-cell sanitation and the practice of using a bucket at night continues.
Gleaves, who served time at what is now Isle of Wight prison, claims his human rights were violated by having to use a bucket as a toilet in his cell.
A Prison Service spokesman said the National Offender Management Service is robustly defending the claims.
Dr Peter Selby, president of the Independent Monitoring Boards, said prisoners were still “subjected to something that is a threat to health and dignity”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel