Drones were carrying large loads of drugs and other illicit items into HMP Long Lartin, a high-security prison, according to an inspection report published in January 2025.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) visited the Worcestershire prison between 30 September and 10 October 2024. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor called for urgent action from the prison service.
He described Long Lartin as “a jail that has, in effect, ceded the airspace above it to serious organised crime”. In the inspectors’ survey, more than 50% of prisoners said it was easy to get drugs and alcohol. The Chief Inspector of Prisons called this an astonishing rate for a category A prison.
Drones, drugs and violence
Long Lartin holds category A and B men, mostly serving long sentences. Its population included some very dangerous men. At the time of the inspection, the prison held 574 men, against an operational capacity of 649. Of these, 168 were category A prisoners and 406 were serving life sentences.
The flow of drugs and phones into such a prison was a serious concern. Inspectors said physical security and counter measures were not robust enough. Neither national nor local leaders had tackled the long-running problem with enough urgency.
Violence had risen since the last inspection in 2022. The report linked it partly to drugs and the debt that came with them. Self-harm had also increased. Inspectors said leaders had not done enough to understand the reasons for either.
The drone threat unsettled staff and contributed to low morale. Many officers were inexperienced and needed more support to manage experienced prisoners. Prisoners also faced daily frustrations. Getting numbers added to in-cell phones took too long, property got stuck in reception, and phone restrictions stopped men calling their solicitors during the day. Inspectors believed these fixable problems were likely contributing to high levels of assaults on staff and of self-harm.
The risks are clear for a jail that has, in effect, ceded the airspace above it to serious organised crime.
Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
How inspectors graded the prison
Inspectors judge every prison against four healthy prison tests. These cover safety, respect, purposeful activity and preparation for release. Purposeful activity covers education, work and time out of cell.
Long Lartin scored not sufficiently good for safety, respect and purposeful activity. It scored reasonably good for preparation for release.
Two scores had improved since 2022. Purposeful activity rose from poor to not sufficiently good, and preparation for release rose from not sufficiently good to reasonably good.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons said the safety grade for a category A prison, with all its resources, “is a serious indictment of the high secure estate directorate”. Inspectors raised 14 concerns, five of them priorities. Of 15 concerns from 2022, the prison had addressed two and partly addressed seven. It had not addressed the other six.
Buckets at night and dirty wings
Conditions remained poor. The prison was very dirty in places, with damp, worn-out flooring, dilapidated cells and rubbish lying around.
Four wings had no toilets in cells. Instead, a night sanitation system let prisoners out one at a time to use a lavatory. Inspectors had criticised the system at every recent inspection. When men faced a queue, they had to use buckets in their cells, with no water or sanitiser to clean their hands. Some threw bags of excrement out of their windows, and staff often did not clear them up. Inspectors said the system also created opportunities for illicit activity and bullying.
Kitchen facilities and food were poor, although catering staff achieved commendable results in difficult circumstances. Support for older prisoners, young adults and foreign nationals was limited.
Signs of progress and what came next
The governor had arrived at the end of 2023. Inspectors found he had begun to reverse a decline that the prison service had allowed to go unchecked for too long. He had improved officer retention and reduced high sickness levels.
The regime had been dire at the last inspection. Men could now spend up to nine hours a day out of their cells. Even so, inspectors found a third locked up during spot checks. Education had improved considerably, and prisoners praised their courses and teaching. However, waiting lists for English and maths were too long.
A better-staffed offender management unit, which plans prisoners’ sentences, now supported men much more effectively. Public protection arrangements had improved. Family contact had also improved.
The Chief Inspector of Prisons said Long Lartin was a jail of concern and that inspectors would return soon. Inspectors have reported on the prison again since, with a full inspection published in June 2026.
About this story
This story is based on HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on HMP Long Lartin, published on 14 January 2025, following an inspection that ended in October 2024. It covers an earlier inspection: the prison’s profile has the latest findings. All figures and judgements are the inspectorate’s. Read the full inspection report · See the prison’s profile in our directory.
