Shock as attacks in prison rose by 28% in a year with 74 happening every day, figures reveal

AN average of 74 attacks happen in prisons every day, shock figures show.

There were 26,912 in 2023 alone — a rise of 28 per cent in a year.

Of these 3,205 were serious with prison staff bearing the brunt.

There were 9,204 assaults on them last year including 825 serious — 27 per cent up on 2022.

Wandsworth in South West London tops the list as the most violent jail, logging 1,044 attacks.

The Commons Library research comes after the Government released lags to ease overcrowding.

Lib Dem Josh Babarinde said: “It must come forward with a plan to make prisons safer.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “The new Government inherited overcrowded prisons, plagued by violence and close to collapse.

"We have taken immediate action to address this crisis, and have a long term plan to ensure we are never in this position again.

“All assaults in prison are taken extremely seriously.

"Our hard-working staff have tools like PAVA synthetic pepper spray and body-worn cameras to keep them safe.

"We will continue to bear down on violence in our prisons.”