Inmates may face action over riot

Officers have examined CCTV footage as part of the investigation

More than 70 prisoners could face prosecution over a riot at HMP Ashwell in Rutland.

Four wings remain closed after violence broke out at the category C jail near Oakham on 10 April.

Leicestershire Police said they have now interviewed more than 500 inmates as part of an on-going investigation into the incident.

Det Ch Insp Alan Worth said the charges inmates could face included arson, burglary and prison mutiny.

Prisoners transferred

Det Ch Insp Worth said: "The inquiry, through the preliminary interview phase of the operation, has identified over 70 people who could potentially be suspects.

"That figure could rise by the time we finish those interviews."

Officers have been examining hundreds of hours of CCTV footage from more than 80 cameras as part of the investigation.

Most of the 600 inmates were transferred to other jails and have still not returned to the prison.

It remains unclear whether some badly damaged wings will be able to be repaired.

The prison, built on a former Army camp, was an open prison when it opened in 1955 and converted to a category C jail in 1987.

It has a maximum capacity of 619 inmates and is one-and-a-half miles from Oakham.