Prison wardens at Wormwood Scrubs have been rushed to hospital after they were seriously assaulted by inmates, less than two days after staff walked out amid safety fears .
Staff had returned to work earlier in the weekend following talks between the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) and National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
The attacks happened on Sunday (May 8) morning. National chairman elect Mike Rolfe said: “The POA can confirm two prison officers have been seriously injured whilst performing their duties at Wormwood Scrubs.
“Both members of staff were badly assaulted by prisoners on the wing and have been taken to hospital.”
POA members had walked out of the prison two days earlier amid health and safety fears. General secretary Steve Gillan had told getwestlondon that there had been a significant increase in attacks on prison staff, with drugs and alcohol “easily accessible” to inmates too.
But following late-night talks between the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and POA, staff returned to work. A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesperson said: “All officers at HMP Wormwood Scrubs have now returned to work and the prison is running a normal regime. “The safety and security of our prisons remains our top priority.”
The attack on two members of staff also comes as MoJ figures which showed a sharp rise in the number of assaults on staff at the prison , in Du Cane Road, near White City.
Data obtained by getwestlondon showed staff at the prison were assaulted 123 times last year, compared to 69 the year before, resulting in a 78% increase.
It is the latest problem to beset the Victorian-built prison which received a damning report earlier this year.
