CONDITIONS at a prison previously labelled “dirty, dangerous and drug-ridden,” have worsened following a recent inspection.

HMP Hewell, in Tardebigge, was previously inspected, in November 2012, where 20 recommendations in the area of safety were made.

In the new report, published on Tuesday, November 18, Nick Hardwick, HM chief inspector of prisons, said the inspection found limited progress and deterioration in some areas.

Of the safety recommendations, five had been achieved, four had been partially achieved, and 11 had not been achieved.

One murder and six suicides took place at the prison since its last inspection and 40 per cent of cells were overcrowded.

Some prisoners, who felt they could not resolve issues regarding basic amenities, began self-harming because of their concerns.

Inspectors found that inmates at Hewell felt less safe and more victimised than prisoners at equivalent prisons.

The report said that cleanliness had improved but there was still too much graffiti and dormitories on the open site were dirty and needed to be redecorated.

More than half of all prisoners in the closed site were locked inside their cells during the working day.

Some 17 per cent of inmates said they developed a drug problem since arriving at the prison and 38 per cent said it was easy to get drugs - six per cent more than at a comparable prison.

The Howard League, a penal reform charity based in the UK, found that the number of frontline officers in Hewell has been cut 48 per cent in less than four years.

The prison was described as “overcrowded” and “understaffed”, by Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

She said: “A critical report is normally followed by additional resources and slight improvements, but that hasn’t been the case here – we have seen one murder and six suicides in Hewell since then and conditions have got even worse as staff numbers have been cut further.

“This is the latest in a long line of negative prison inspection reports which show a public service in meltdown. Ministers cannot carry on blaming the messengers; the buck stops with them.Cramming more people into overcrowded and understaffed prisons leads only to more self-harm, more violence and more victims.”

Michael Spurr, chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), said: "I accept that progress in delivering necessary improvements at Hewell has been too slow. Prior to this unannounced inspection a new governor had been appointed to lead a Performance Improvement Programme, and as the Chief Inspector acknowledges, he is now getting to grips with the issues in a systematic and structured way.

"Given that Hewell has tragically suffered a number of suicides, I'm pleased that the Inspection found that prisoners at risk of self-harm were being well cared for and that relationships between staff and prisoners were positive. This provides a solid foundation to achieve the improvements required and I'm confident that the action taken by the Governor will achieve this."