Emergency prison overcrowding plan activated as rioters sentenced in wake of Southport stabbings

The government has triggered a plan to ease overcrowding in prisons, as more rioters are being sentenced for their role in the recent violent disorder unrest.

The activation of Operation Early Dawn is set to help manage short-term prison capacity pressure in some areas - including the North West.

• Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.

• Cumbria and Lancashire

It was last used by the Conservative government in May this year.

The temporary measure comes after recent weeks saw hundreds of people imprisoned in the north of England following the far-right riots, in the wake of the Southport stabbings.

UK prisons have been operating at critical levels for the last several years, often with under 1 per cent capacity.

It means that defendants waiting for a court appearance in the north of England will be kept in police cells until prison space is available.

Prisons and probation minister Lord Timpson said: “We inherited a justice system in crisis and exposed to shocks.

“As a result, we have been forced into making difficult but necessary decisions to keep it operating.

“However, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated staff and partners, we have brought forward additional prison places and now introduced Operation Early Dawn to manage the pressure felt in some parts of the country.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for custody, deputy chief constable Nev Kemp, said: “We are working closely with criminal justice system partners to manage demand in the system and ensure that the public are safe.

“Policing will continue to arrest anyone that they need to in order to keep the public safe, including policing protests and events and ensuring that people are arrested as expected.”

It comes as a 45th person has been charged following violent disorder in Merseyside.

Violent scenes flared in Southport on July 30 and then in Liverpool city centre and Walton on August 3.