INSPECTORS who assessed Greenock's crumbling 111-year-old prison after a Tele investigation revealed scores of cells unfit for human habitation say that the jail must be 'urgently replaced'.
A damning HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) report has declared the jail an 'unsuitable environment' and declare that a 'robust permanent solution must be found'.
The official probe — which came after we told how the prison is operating at a fraction of its capacity due to serious structural issues — labels the situation 'deeply concerning'.
Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe today reinforced the local authority's demand for the Scottish Government to finally make good on a now 12-year-old funding pledge for a new jail.
Mr McCabe also called on the SNP's Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan, and MP Ronnie Cowan, to back him.
The council leader said: "The findings of HMIPS on the poor state of Greenock Prison will come as no surprise to the readers of the Telegraph following the paper's own investigation in April, which exposed the extent of the dilapidation.
"This latest report underlines the urgent need for the Scottish Government to come up with the funding necessary for the Scottish Prison Service [SPS] to build a replacement prison on the site they own in Greenock, as originally planned in 2009."
We told in April how 40 cells out of a total of 249 at the prison were out of commission due to water ingress.
HMIPS now says there is a 'continuing gradual loss of residential accommodation' within the jail.
Our revelation came just four months after we told how plans to replace the decaying structure - built in 1910 - have been shelved until at least 2026, despite £8m of public money being spent several years ago in buying the site of the former Greenock High School off Inverkip Road.
HMIPS said: "The primary concern is the ageing infrastructure of HMP Greenock and the unsuitable environment created by the fabric of the building.
"HMP Greenock is a Victorian establishment ill-suited to a modern prison system and accordingly in urgent need of replacement.
"The continuing gradual loss of residential accommodation, due to water ingress, is also deeply concerning in light of the pressure on prison cell capacity which is anticipated as court activity ramps up again and returns to normal."
The SPS has prioritised a replacement prisons for Barlinnie and Inverness ahead of Greenock but HMIPS is urging much quicker action.
The Inspectorate said: "The SPS is investigating options to address the problems of water ingress in the residential area but they are likely to be costly, and under current plans may only have a payback period of ten years until a full replacement for HMP Greenock can be secured.
"We urge the Scottish Government and the SPS to find funding and consider alternatives that might provide a permanent or at least longer-term solution in a shorter timeframe and perhaps provide a more cost effective investment, without losing the positives of having a local prison and the strong staff prisoner relationships.
"A robust permanent solution must be found in the interim for a number of issues; to prevent further ingress of water into healthcare settings and accommodation areas to minimise the risk of transmission of infection."
Councillor McCabe — who has consistently called for a new Greenock Prison 'fit for the 21st century' — said: "I hope the local MSP and MP will support my call for action by the Scottish Government."
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