Freed convicts have caused a prison uniform shortage – by flogging their old jail togs online.
They’re supposed to hand the clothing back when released – but instead they’re cashing in on a craze for HMP gear – and breaking the law too.
Prison issue shirts and trousers like those from TV classic Porridge fetch up to £60 a time on eBay.
And even jail undies and socks get snapped up by crime memorabilia fans.
Online sellers even list the years they were worn inside.
Gordon Strachan speaks out on Sky Sports axe over Adam Johnson remarks
An ex-inmate of HMP Kirkham, near Preston, Lancs, is selling a T-shirt promising buyers: “100 per cent genuine – hard to come by.”
Another seller offers an “original HM Prison shirt with prison name tags” for £34 on eBay, with “Blue+White stripes, the traditional prisoner dress code”.
Babysitter shook and beat girl, 3, to death because she was 'mad'
A source told us “there is a big market out there” boosted by TV crime dramas.
The scam emerged after a report by the Independent Monitoring Board warned of a uniforms shortage at London’s Wormwood Scrubs.
Around 120 inmates a month are freed from the Category B nick.
The report said: “Prisoners are sometimes released wearing prison-issue clothing, which contributes to shortages.”
A spokesman for the Prison Service said: “Anyone who sells prison clothing would be breaking the law."
