Trouble flares at prison

Small fires were lit during the disturbance

Staff were dealing was a minor disturbance at Chelmsford Prison in Essex on Wednesday night.

Ten prisoners in the young offenders' wing were said by the prison service to be "in an agitated state".

They had locked themselves into one cell after lighting some small fires which were very quickly put out in the corrider of C wing, a spokesman said.

He added that staff were dealing with the incident and had the situation under control.

The offenders, all under 21, were reported to be unhappy with the regime.

"It's now a matter of talking with them to discover what they want and bringing it to a peaceful conclusion," the spokesman said.

Worse off

"It's fair to say that if they thought they were overcrowded before, they are far worse off with so many in one cell."

Fire crews were called to the jail but the flames had already been extinguished.

Last year, conditions at the prison were condemned as poor and cramped by its board of visitors.

In a report published in December 2002, the board described it as "overcrowded, under-resourced and under almost intolerable strain".

A prisons inspectorate report in January said conditions at the jail were improving but recently it was rated among the most overcrowded in the country.