Riots erupt in HMP Birmingham as ‘officials lose one wing’ and Tornado Squads are called in to quell chaos
RIOTS erupted at HMP Birmingham yesterday with officials losing control of one prison wing for several hours throughout the evening.
Tornado squads - designed to bring riots under control - were reportedly drafted in to help at the Victorian category B prison.
Trouble started at around 3.30pm when a number of inmates refused to go back into their cells, the reported.
Unconfirmed reports suggested that one wing was briefly "lost" and prison staff involved in a stand-off with inmates. No staff or prisoners were hurt.
A spokesman for G4S, which runs the jail, initially stated: "Our teams are responding to an incident on one wing at HM Prison Birmingham.
"We are working with colleagues from Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service to bring the incident to a safe conclusion."
However, a HM Prison Service spokesperson later told : "We do not tolerate violence in our prisons, and are clear that those responsible will be referred to the police and could spend longer behind bars."
In December 2016, prisoners caused £2million of damage during a 12-hour riot which saw them take over four wings of the jail.
They smashed cells and offices, set fire to stairwells and destroyed paper records.
It is believed to be a dispute over lags not having access to TV and a gym.
About 500 inmates - a third of the jail's population - had to be moved to other sites during repair work.
Pictures, which emerged at the scene, showed two prisoners dressed as guards and posing with the keys inside jail.
Another, taken from the upper floor of a wing showed buckets and clothes strewn over the floor and netting.
The rioting at the Winson Green jail was some of the worst in years at a UK prison.
Tornado Teams, police, ambulance and firefighters were all at the scene, with police finally regaining control of the prison 12 hours after the riot began.
An inspection found the riot-hit jail was gripped by drug-fuelled violence with many inmates feeling "unsafe" behind bars.
