Prisoners left without heating for weeks in November cold spell at Leicestershire HMP

A new report highlighting the many problems at HMP Gartree near Market Harborough reveals that older prisoners, aged 50 and over, were left with no heating for "several weeks" in November last year, during a particularly cold spell. The report sets out various "major works" that will require further investment in the near future.

Other problems at the prison include a lack of wheelchair accessibility in the wing for the over-50s and a problem throughout the prison with inmates having to face long and growing waits for help with their mental health. The report was put together by the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Gartree.

They said: "Major works and further investment from the Prison Service is needed in order to ensure the prison is a safe, secure and humane environment for those living and working inside it."

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The heating problem has been going on for some time. The report states: "The repairs to the heating system do not appear to have fixed all of the issues.

"As a result, prisoners on the over 50s wing were without any heating for several weeks during a particularly cold spell in November 2023." There was frustration that things were taking a long time to be improved.

Monitoring board chair Tim Norman said: “The fire safety upgrades continued slowly throughout the reporting year and improvements to the infrastructure of the wings were extremely limited. It is of concern to the board that HMP Gartree may not get sufficient funds to help support the major investment needed to repair this prison and make it a decent and humane environment for the men living here.”

On the positive side, the new report did find that relationships between staff and prisoners were "observed to be mostly positive" and prisoners generally reported feeling safe.

The government wants to build a new larger prison next to HMP Gartree. The planning application was discussed at a Harborough District Council planning meeting on Tuesday night but deferred to a later date for more information to be gathered.