LAGS’ FAGS BAN

Fears Tory plan will spark surge in jail violence and drug use

OUR toughest jails could face a surge in gang activity, violence and drug use as the result of a planned smoking ban, experts warn. It is feared gang leaders will cash in on the Tory push to make prisons smokefree by the end of summer, charging extortionate prices for smuggled fags. The move comes as public health chief Prof John Middleton said council and housing association tenants with children should also be banned from smoking in their homes. The Prison Service has written to jails to confirm the ban. A letter to Category A HMP Frankland in County Durham – which holds notorious killers Peter Sutcliffe, Ian Huntley and Levi Bellfield – said: “We have received confirmation that all Long Term and High Security Establishments will become smoke free by 31 August 2017.” The ban is being brought in for health reasons amid fears convicts and guards could sue if they get lung cancer or another smoking-related illness. However, pilot schemes in Wales and South West England last year led to a surge in violence and the use of deadly synthetic drug Spice. And ex-inmate Alex Cavendish, now an academic, said the ban is a “smuggler’s dream” as 80% of lags smoke. He said: “The ban is a recipe for disaster. All the evidence shows it creates far more harm than good. At a time when suicide is rocketing, selfharm is rocketing and drug use is rocketing, banning smoking will only add fuel to the fire.” Cigarettes at HMP Dartmoor, one of the pilot jails, were £3 a pop and bags of tobacco £100 as gangs exploited the ban. It also recorded a rise in drugs like Spice. The MOJ did not comment last night.

STUBBING IT OUT Frankland prison

BEAST Frankland lags include Huntley