A Covid staffing crisis at a privately run jail saw prisoners given bananas in their cells for their Christmas Day breakfast.
The outbreak at Addiewell prison, in West Lothian, has left the Sodexo-run facility so short-staffed inmates are being kept locked up in their rooms for up to 23 hours a day.
A prison source said a “significant number” of officers are self-isolating due to the virus and are off work. The source added: “On Christmas Day, the prisoners were given a banana for breakfast and were not allowed out of their cells.
“On Boxing Day they were still locked up and food was brought to them in boxes. They’re supposed to get fed at 5pm but it was 6.35pm before it was sent round and it was freezing cold.
“Prisoners are setting off fire alarms to get attention from guards. They cancelled Christmas visits too, which caused a lot of anger. It’s time the Scottish Prison Service took over this jail. You can’t keep hundreds of men locked up and hungry. It’s storing up trouble.”
A HMP Addiewell spokesperson said: “We continue to see the impact of Covid-19 and there are a significant number of staff who have been required to self-isolate.”
Another jail source said Sodexo had to call in officers from other prisons to plug staffing gaps.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
