High-security prison is being swarmed by so many drones it's like an 'airport' with inmates burning holes in Perspex cell windows to smuggle in drugs, damning report reveals

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A high-security prison is being swarmed by so many drones it is like an 'airport' with inmates burning holes in their Perspex cell windows to smuggle in drugs, a damning report revealed today. 

The rampant drugs problem at HMP Garth, a high-security men's jail in Lancashire, has been exposed in a new official inspection. 

More than a dozen cells had holes in their windows, which had been burnt by inmates using the element from their kettles. They then use mops and brooms to haul in illicit substances hanging down from drones hovering outside.

The use of smug-smuggling drones is rife across the UK prison estate, and earlier this year a couple were jailed for making more than a hundred drops in 11 jails over just a year. 

Drone pilot Sajad Hashimi, 27, flew his DJI Phantom 4 into prisons on 78 dates between August 2022 and October last year - making drops as far south as Dorset and as far north as Edinburgh, with his wife Zerka Maranay hiring cars to help along the way.

Prisoners at HMP Garth have used kettles to burn holes into Perspex windows so they can smuggle in drugs from drones 

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor wrote in a report published today that prisoners were 'continually burning holes in the prison windows at a faster rate than they could be repaired'

This gallery of photos shows the disgusting state of cells where new prisoners spent their first night 

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor wrote in his report on HMP Garth - published today - that prisoners were 'continually burning holes in the prison windows at a faster rate than they could be repaired'. 

His analysis revealed a third of all random drug test results at the jail were positive and nearly two-thirds of inmates said illicit substances were easy to acquire behind bars. 

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He found the number of assaults had risen by 45 per cent since the last inspection, 'with much of this likely to be driven by the illicit economy and subsequent debt'.

Mr Taylor discovered 17 prisoners had been refusing to leave their cells, of whom seven had been doing so for more than seven months, with many fearing for their safety because of drug debts. 

'Isolating prisoners received very little time out of cell and most did not have daily access to a shower or fresh air,' he added. 

HMP Garth houses 816 prisoners mostly serving long or indeterminate sentences and is intended to be a training prison that provides education for inmates. 

However, Mr Taylor found it was unable to fulfill this role due to many prisoners being locked in their cells for much of the day in an attempt to reduce rampant violence. 

He wrote: 'Too many prisoners were locked behind their cell doors for hours. Even those who were employed had only been offered part-time work.'

Another photo showing a cell at the prison, which was described as 'troubled' 

HMP Garth houses 816 prisoners mostly serving long or indeterminate sentences and is intended to be a training prison that provides education for inmates

Mr Taylor said prisoners used mops and brooms to haul in drugs from drones. Pictured is broken equipment in a cleaning cupboard 

Mr Taylor condemned the poor physical condition of the jail. Pictured are chairs with slash marks in them 

This graph shows how HMP Garth has changed on a number of indicators from 2022 to 2024 

Serjad Hashimi and his wife Zerka Maranay were convicted earlier this year for flying drones over prisons to make illegal drops of drugs and mobile phones

The Chief Inspector said prisoners and staff agreed that drugs were one of the main causes of violence, and that while jail bosses were taking some positive steps to tackle the problem 'only the replacement of the windows would reduce this substantially'. 

He also slammed the poor physical condition of the prison, describing 'leaking roofs, peeling floors, and parts of the older wings in an advanced state of dilapidation'. 

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The report follows the release of troubling data showing assaults on prison officers in England and Wales have reached a new high. 

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) also disclosed a rise in reoffending rates, a record number of freed criminals called back to jail and a surge in the number of recalled offenders still on the run.

The figures revealed a criminal justice system in crisis and raised fresh questions about Labour's decision to free thousands of inmates in its early release scheme.

The MoJ said there were a record 10,281 assaults on jail staff, up 30 per cent on the previous 12 months. Some 974 of these were serious assaults, a 24 per cent jump.

Reoffending rates – the proportion of convicted criminals who go on to commit new crimes – were up one per cent to 26.4 per cent overall.

A pile of paperwork related to outstanding adjudications - formal hearings held within a prison where a prisoner is charged with breaking prison rules

Mr Taylor discovered 17 prisoners at HMP Garth had been refusing to leave their cells, of whom seven had been doing so for more than seven months, with many fearing for their safety because of drug debts

A photo of the gym at HMP Garth, which is located in the village of Ulnes Walton in Lancashire

The authorities recalled 9,782 inmates to jail between April and June, a 44 per cent increase on the same period last year. Prisoners are recalled if they commit new crimes or breach the terms of their release.

The huge numbers being sent back to jail is expected to pose a serious problem for Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

She is freeing thousands of inmates – including some violent offenders – after they serve 40 per cent of their sentence to free up space in overcrowded jails.

But higher numbers of offenders being sent back means the policy could create less space than expected.

Meanwhile, the MoJ figures – covering England and Wales – showed there are 2,605 criminals on the run after being recalled to prison.

Prisons minister Lord Timpson said in response to the figures: 'These statistics yet again illustrate the scale of the prison crisis this Government inherited and how prisons are failing their basic function to cut crime.'

The Ministry of Justice said: 'The new Government inherited a prison system in crisis and reports like these demonstrate the need for robust action to get the situation back under control.

'We have zero tolerance towards violence and drugs and our security measures, such as X-ray body scanners and anti-drone no-fly zones, detect and stop drugs from entering our prisons.'