Prison staff have walked out of Wormwood Scrubs and are refusing to work there because of serious safety fears.

The walked out earlon on May 6, saying they have many health and safety concerns and do not feel safe working in the prison, which houses some of the country’s most notorious criminals.

Stats obtained from the Ministry of Justice on the same day as the walkout showed that assaults on staff at the prison had reached a record high.

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said its members would not return to work until their grievances were addressed. However, there was no sign of this happening soon.

The union’s general secretary Steve Gillan told getwestlondon: “As of 12.10pm this afternoon management haven’t taken steps to address health and safety concerns. But if they want individuals to go back to work they should address the concerns.”

He said there had been a significant increase in attacks on prison staff at the prison, with drugs and alcohol “easily accessible” to inmates too.

In a statement he said: “POA members have reluctantly withdrawn to a safe place under Health and Safety legislation.

"It is essential that staff and prisoners are safe in the prison.

“I urge management to engage with the Union so that all who live and work at Wormwood Scrubs are safe from violent attacks.

"Management and government cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the drug culture which is making our prisons unsafe. The POA are on record as saying we will protect the health and safety of our members if management and government fail to do so.”

It is the latest blow to the troubled prison, which has been on the receiving end of sharp criticism over recent times.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons’ Report into the prison, published in April, found the Victorian-build jail continued to fall short of expected standards with inmates forced to live in fear and rat-infested conditions.

And in an earlier report into the troubled prison, in Du Cane Road near White City, one guard said about the cells: “I wouldn’t keep my dog in there.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “An incident is underway at HMP Wormwood Scrubs and we are taking steps to resolve it.

“As a temporary measure, all prisoners will remain in cells and are being supervised. There is no danger to staff or the wider public.”