London: More than 250 prisoners have been moved to other jails after three nights of rioting in which several prisoners and staff were injured, the Prison Service said Friday.
Extra staff have now been deployed to keep the peace and a "high-level investigation" has been launched into the unrest at Moorland prison near Doncaster, Prison Service chief executive Michael Spurr said.
"We have a good record of maintaining order and security in our prisons and are therefore taking these incidents extremely seriously in order to learn lessons," he said in a statement.
The rioting broke out in the young offenders unit, housing men aged 18 to 20, on Tuesday night when about 40 prisoners refused to return to their cells after a fight broke out.
In the subsequent violence, three staff were assaulted and a female officer sustained a fractured jaw.
On Wednesday night riots broke out again, causing one prisoner to be hospitalised with head injuries. Riot officers intervened and the following day, 86 prisoners were moved to another jail.
On Thursday night the violence spread to the adult wing, and one prisoner was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Another 166 prisoners were moved to other jails in the nearby area.
Bureau Report
