Four more prison closures announced

Agencies/London

A further four prisons are to due close, the government has said, as it confirmed plans to build two new “super” jails in England and Wales.

Blundeston in Suffolk, Dorchester in west Dorset, Northallerton in North Yorkshire and Reading prisons will close, the ministry of justice (MoJ) said.

The announcement was made as the MoJ confirmed plans to build a 2,000-place new prison in Wrexham, North Wales.

Feasibility work has also started on a second large prison to be constructed in the south east of England, focusing on the possibility of replacing the existing Feltham Young Offenders Institution in west London with a large new adult prison and a new youth facility on adjoining sites in west London.

The MoJ also confirmed opening dates for new “house blocks” - mini-prisons - being built to create 1,200 new places at four sites across England.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: “This is the latest part of our plan to modernise our prisons, bring down costs, but to make sure that by the next election we still have access to more prison places than we inherited in 2010.

“The Feltham site in west London is a very large one, and is an obvious option for a major new project to help meet the challenges we face in London and the South East. I’m also really pleased that we have reached agreement on the new prison in Wrexham. It will provide a real boost to the local economy in North Wales over the next few years, which is one key reason why the chancellor has made sure we have the money for the project.”

Blundeston, a male category C prison, Dorchester, a male category B local prison which holds young adults, Northallerton, a male category C prison and Reading, a male prison holding young adults and remanded prisoners, will close as they are either too expensive to run or need substantial capital investment in the next few years, the MoJ said.