One in six prison officers sick at Stockton prison

One in six prison officers from Holme House in Stockton are off sick amid an escalating drug problem among inmates.

The figure has almost doubled in just two weeks from 16 to 30, out of the176 serving at the jail - most of them in connection with the effects ofinhaling psychoactive substance Spice.

Last week the prison, which serves the communities of Durham, Teessideand North Yorkshire, was in lockdown as a thorough drugs search was carried out. Last month, it was revealed a £200,000 haul of Spice was discovered in cereal, porridge and coffee packets in inmates' cells.

An investigation is now underway into what is believed to be a sophisticated operation, as the Spice was sealed into thepackets.

Terry Fullerton, the North-East chairman of the Prison OfficersAssociation, said: "You can't lose 30 staff and carry on as normal.

"It puts a lot of pressure on because you can't deliver the regime that the prisoners are expecting and that causes tensions inside the prison."

He said prison officers inhaling Spice fumes had been admitted to hospitalbecause they thought they were having heart attacks, and others weresuffering from the psychotic effect of it, being severely emotionally affected.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said more "illicit items" had been foundduring a planned, intelligence-led search at Holme House.

The MoJ said it was "incorrect" that all the sickness absences at theprison were due to Spice inhalation, but did not state how many staff werecurrently affected by the drug.