Altcourse inmates warned about possible water 'contamination'

Concerns were raised about the safety of drinking water in HMP Altcourse after letters were posted under inmates' doors regarding a possible contamination.

The ECHO was told that inmates on one wing inside HMP Altcourse, in Fazakerley, received the letters at the end of last week regarding the "mains water out the taps". One source claimed that the letter informed inmates the water was "contaminated and unsafe to drink".

They added that a friend of theirs who had drunk the water had felt unwell for a number of days with a bad stomach. However, Sodexo, who manages the prison, today, Friday, April 19 said that the drinking water was not affected.

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A spokesperson for the prison told the ECHO: "We can confirm that abnormal readings were identified on one cold storage tank during planned maintenance across the prison. As the safety and wellbeing of those who live and work at the prison is our priority, we took immediate action and appropriate steps on the affected tank before bringing it back online.

"Drinking water was not affected before and throughout the process and we can confirm that the prison regimen operates as normal." The ECHO was told the notices were instead handed out as a precaution.

HMP Altcourse was last inspected in November 2021 when it was still managed by G4S. The category B prison, with around 1,150 prisoners, was taken over by Sodexo in 2023. In the 2021 report, prisoners' perceptions of the environment was generally good, with it being called "clean and decent".

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