A woman has died at a prison in Cheshire.
Susan Knowles died at HMP Styal on Friday (May 10), the prison service has confirmed.
Ms Knowles, 48, is the fourth inmate to die at the prison, near Wilmslow, in the space of 15 months.
Police confirmed that her death is not being treated as suspicious.
The Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) - which looks into all deaths and complaints in custody - will now lead an independent investigation into her death.
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A Cheshire Police spokesperson confirmed that officers were called to reports of the sudden death of a 48-year-old woman at Styal Prison, in Wilmslow, at around 1am on Friday (May 10).
A police spokesperson added: “The death is not being treated as suspicious and a case file will be prepared for the coroner.”
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “HMP Styal prisoner Susan Knowles died in prison on 10 May 2019 and our condolences are with her family and friends at this difficult time.
“As with all deaths in custody there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.”
Ms Knowles is the fourth inmate to die at the prison in less than two years.
Nicola Birchall, 41, died while in custody at HMP Styal in February 2018.
Investigations into her death are ongoing, though it is not being treated as suspicious.
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Then on June 4, 2018, Imogen Mellor died at the prison. The 29-year-old was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital where she later died.
An ongoing investigation into her death by the PPO continues. Police said her death is not being treated as suspicious.
Ms Mellor, from Lancashire, was jailed after attacking a massage parlour boss with a rubber mallet before going on the run with her partner.
She pleaded guilty to theft and unlawful wounding and was jailed for 21 months at Preston Crown Court.
Earlier this year, Christine MacDonald was found collapsed in her cell while serving a sentence at the women’s prison.
Ms MacDonald, 56, was found in the early hours of Sunday March 3 and taken to Wythenshawe Hospital where she later died.
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Police said at the time there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a PPO investigation continues.
HMP Styal, a former orphanage, was first opened as a women’s prison in 1962 to serve female inmates from Strangeways, in Manchester.
It is the only female prison in the region with a capacity of 486 inmates.
