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Terrified guards at ‘HMP Woke’ have described daily life inside Britain’s cushiest prison, revealing how inmates throw booze and drug-fuelled cell parties, clamber onto the roof and then share their brazen antics on social media with contraband mobile phones.
Staff at £253million HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, where inmates at the 1,700-capacity category C prison have access to a gym, snooker table, table tennis table and a tablet to gain new qualifications, claimed that they are assaulted by convicts on a daily basis.
Among the more shocking allegations include that prisoners hurl sexual taunts at female staff and brawl with rival gangs inside – with some instances apparently even leading to stabbings.
In videos recently uploaded to social media, cellmates are seen brazenly partying with alcohol and drugs. They appear to be chanting and dancing as if they are at a rave, while others are seen clambering onto the rooftops of some of Britain’s prisons.
One guard who changed his name to Harry claimed that staff are ‘constantly’ coming across homemade or smuggled weapons and claimed an officer was stabbed. He told Sky News: ‘The prisoners run the prison. If things don’t change someone is going to get killed.’
Another guard who has been named Sally said she fears that something ‘major’ is going to happen at the prison, such as a ‘stabbing or murder.’ She warned: ‘We get urine and faeces thrown in our face. We get spat at. We get things thrown at us. An officer got stabbed a few weeks ago. We get punched, kicked, tripped up, hit with pool cues. Something like that happens on a daily basis.’
Sally also noted that the prison had issues with lack of staffing, which meant it was ‘common’ for one female officer to be alone with 60 men when there should be at least two people on the look out. Harry said that whilst he trained with 17 people for the job, only two have stayed.
The whistleblowers also claimed that corrupt members of staff could be bringing in contraband drugs for prisoners.
Security firm G4S, which is responsible for security at the prison, insisted the guard who was said to have been stabbed received only ‘superficial injuries’.
Clips showed convicted criminals appearing to party with booze and drugs at the prison
Staff at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, which is run by security firm G4S, anonymously told Sky News that assaults on staff are ‘a daily event’. Left: An image appearing to show inmates downing shots at a party at HMP Five Wells. Right: An image, which was posted on YouTube, also appeared to show a prisoner on the roof of the prison
Costing £253million to build, HMP Five Wells (pictured in aerial photograph) is the UK’s first privately run mega prison in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Built from recycled materials and using solar panels to reduce its carbon footprint, the lock-up will have a clear focus on rehabilitating offenders (Pictured: Multi-use games area)
Harry also noted that inmates know when their bodycams are not working and that there is a lack of equipment. But G4S told Sky News that staff did have ‘adequate’ radios, bodycams and alarm buttons that can be pressed for help.
He said: ‘We’re lucky if we get a radio to go on to the landings. And we’ve got a very limited amount of bodycams that work. It’s like a lucky dip raffle.’
In one clip, a caption appears to boast of prisoners having Ciroc and Grey Goose vodkas, and Wray & Nephew Rum. They then appear to lick salt from their hands and bite a lemon wedge before downing their shots, before dancing to music and appearing to smoke cannabis.
At the time G4S told MailOnline action has been taken after furious sources blasted: ‘The lunatics are running the asylum’ – adding: ‘They were partying it up for hours and so brazen about it. Clearly they were not worried about guards coming in to spoil their fun.’
G4S said all cells of the prisoners involved in the videos have been searched and the ‘appropriate action taken’, with prisoners involved put on report and set to be drug tested.
A spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Our dedicated staff work tirelessly to detect, intercept and confiscate contraband. Anyone found with a mobile phone, drugs or alcohol in prison is breaking the law and may face extra time behind bars.’
Costing £253million to build, it is seen as a flagship example of the Government’s aim to create a ‘modern, efficient prison estate’.
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The prison offers light and airy rooms (pictured) that wouldn’t look out of place in a university halls brochure
The jail is seen as a flagship example of the Government’s aim to create a ‘modern, efficient prison estate’ (Pictured: Bright and spacious room for inmate)
Its buildings are in the shape of crosses and hold up to 1,680 inmates, who sleep in brightly decorated and spacious rooms – complete with bar-less sliding windows offering unobstructed views over the beautiful River Nene and a fishing lake. The landscaped grounds at Five Wells include a horticultural area and four multi-use games areas, two of which have raised bleachers for spectators.
It does not have bars across its windows, and provides prisoners with access to a gym, snooker table, table tennis table and a tablet to gain new qualifications.
The jail designers have ditched the usual K-shaped formation of prison housing blocks and instead used seven staggered cross-shaped buildings. The K-block style has been favoured since Victorian times, with the idea that a single prison officer could be placed in the centre of the radial arms of corridors and survey all the cells quickly.
The new cross-shaped buildings mean the corridors are broken up into smaller zones, rather than miles of long corridors, which enable prison staff to have more direct contact with prisoners. The buildings have been arranged around beautifully landscaped courtyards and there is also a central hub for education, vocational training and social facilities.
The jail, which features electric car charging points, is Britain’s first eco-friendly prison and has been built using recycled materials while incorporating green energy.
It uses more efficient heating and hot water, as well as renewable energy, including solar panels.
The prison build has been handled by Kier group and has been made on the site of the former HMP Wellingborough site.
The former prison was opened as a Borstal in 1963 before being converted into a Training Prison for men in 1990. It was closed down in 2012, and held a maximum of 650 adult male inmates.
In 2018, it was confirmed the prison site would house a new Category C prison, and HMP Five Wells began construction a year later.
The name HMP Five Wells reflects the five wells in the area, which feature in Wellingborough’s coat of arms.
A spokesperson for G4S told MailOnline today: ‘The safety of staff and prisoners is our number one priority and we do not tolerate violence. Managers take swift and robust action when serious incidents do happen. Such incidents are then referred to the police to support further prosecution.
‘We have sufficient levels of staffing to run a stable, consistent and safe regime. We continue to drive recruitment to increase our staffing numbers which will enable us to broaden our current prison regime.
‘The majority of our employees have more than 12 months’ prison experience and we have a large group of officers on secondment from other G4S prisons, providing additional support and experience. We are further increasing the number of First Line Managers to provide additional guidance and to mentor newly recruited staff.
‘HMP Five Wells staff are proud of the good work that has been carried out since opening to support and develop employees and to help prisoners turn their lives around. We know there is more to be done and continue to take steps to improve the regime every day.
‘Our dedicated officers work tirelessly to detect, intercept and confiscate contraband through a range of measures including the use of patrol and drug detection dogs, joint operations with Northamptonshire Police and HMPPS counter-corruption colleagues.
‘We understand that working in a prison is a very rewarding vocation but can also be challenging and we are committed to supporting and caring for our staff.’
MailOnline have reached out to The Ministry of Justice for comment.
