Britain is the jail capital of western Europe — with FOUR times as many life sentences as Russia — and jails cost taxpayers £3.2billion

ENGLAND was last night revealed as the jail capital of western Europe.

New figures revealed there were 148.3 prisoners in England and Wales per 100,000.

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And the Council of Europe said there were FOUR TIMES as many lags serving life sentences here than in Russia – more than 7,000.

Overall, Britain spends £3.2billion on its prisons a year – more than any other country in Europe. Only eastern Europe proportionately jail more.

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Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League, said: “The fact that England and Wales has such as high prison population is nothing to be proud of, particularly when we consider all the problems behind bars today.”

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Justice Secretary Liz Truss has been blasted for an explosion in violence behind bars and over-crowded jails. Allies blame issues dating back before her time in the post – which she took up last summer.

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The Council of Europe said English jails ranked outside of the top ten for overcrowding.

And just 12 per cent of lags in UK jails are foreigners – leaving it 23rd in Europe.