Britain's worst prisons: From inmates removing their own cell doors, to 'catastrophic' levels of drug use, violence and vermin infestations, the shocking reports that lay bare state of UK jails

Shortly after coming into power in July, Sir Keir Starmer revealed his 'shock' at the state of the country's prisons, telling reporters it was 'worse than I thought'. Daniel Khalife, an inmate HMP Wandsworth - which was described as a 'failing prison' by inspectors - managed to escape last year Inmates can be seen throwing punches at each other and attempting to wrestle the other to the floor in footage that is thought to have been filmed at HMP Rochester in Kent in 2015 Scenes inside Winchester prison after a riot broke out in 2018, during which prisoners dislodged bricks in crumbling cell walls with utensils from the canteen and bits of furniture Wandsworth HMP Wandsworth was condemned as 'dangerously overcrowded' and infested with vermin, in its most recent annual inspector's report. Winchester prison was put into emergency measures in October after it was found to be rife with drug problems, violence and concerns over security A prison riot by 19 inmates at HMP Winchester in 2018 led to police and specialist officers being drafted in to restore order Manchester HMP Manchester was another prison that was issued an Urgent Notification in October this year after it was found to be infested with rats and rampant with violence and 'catastrophic' levels of drug use. On one occasion in 2023, an inmate staged a 12-hour protest on the roof of the prison HMP Manchester was found to be infested with rats and rampant with violence and 'catastrophic' levels of drug use An inmate climbed on the roof at Strangeways prison before staging a 12-hour protest in 2023 The prisoner scribbled the phrase 'FREE IPPZ' on the jail's roof in apparent reference to The Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence. HMP Rochester was found to have 'decrepit conditions, rising violence and self-harm and widespread illicit drug use' Two prisoners, thought to be held in HMP Rochester, were caught on camera throwing punches at each other as they apparently fight for a pouch of tobacco back in 2015 Relationships between staff and prisoners were also 'poor', inspectors said.