'Legal highs' a 'major factor' in rising violence at Leeds prison

There's been an increase in violence at Armley jail in Leeds with an influx of so-called 'legal highs' to blame, inspectors say.

There was an average of 32 assaults on prisoners and staff at HMP Leeds every month, watchdogs revealed, with around one in ten resulting in serious injury.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons said levels of violence had increased significantly since the last inspection and were now double what it typically sees in local jails.

Its report added that inmates often refused to disclose the identity of assailants - suggesting they feared recriminations and lacked confidence in the system to protect them.

New psychoactive substances - commonly referred to as "legal highs" - were identified as a "major factor" in the increase.

"Despite some robust action being taken to address the challenges this presented, it was having a pervasive and destabilising effect across the prison," the report said.

Inspectors also found that levels of crowding were "very high" and the majority of cells were "poorly equipped".

HMP Leeds is a large Victorian inner-city prison serving courts in Yorkshire.

At the time of the inspection at the end of last year it held 1,149 adult male prisoners.