Revealed: The actuality of life inside rat-infested HMP Wandsworth

Behind the imposing Victorian gatehouse that marks the entrance to Wandsworth Prison, more than 1,500 men spent up to 22 hours a day in squalid, cramped, rat-infested cells – with many high on drugs and in a state of hopelessness and despair. 

Those are the findings of a damning new analysis by chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor, who lifts the lid on the grim reality of life within the 170-year-old London jail – where seven prisoners have taken their own lives in the last year alone. 

Described as ‘crumbling, overcrowded and vermin-infested’ by Mr Taylor during his last inspection in 2022, things are now even worse, prompting him to issue an ‘urgent notification’ to ministers warning of the ‘ever-present risk’ of a ‘catastrophe’.

On an unannounced visit this month he found eighty per cent of prisoners sharing cells designed for one person, 44 per cent testing positive for drugs and some going without showers for five days. 

And despite the alleged escape of terror suspect Daniel Khalife last year, he said security remained a ‘serious concern’, with staff on the ‘chaotic’ wings frequently unable to accurately account for the whereabouts of their prisoners. 

Built more than 170 years ago, Wandsworth is one of the oldest and most famous prisons in the country. It has had its fair share of high-profile inmates, from Oscar Wilde to, more recently, tennis star turned bankrupt Boris Becker.

In his warning to ministers calling for the category B jail to be placed in emergency measures, Mr Taylor described an atmosphere among prisoners ‘characterised by a degree of despondency that I have not come across in my time as Chief Inspector‘. 

He said staff are hampered by a lack of experience, poor management and a ‘poor or non-existence relationship’ with prisoners.

He added that many are suffering from high levels of ‘burn-out’, with a third unavailable for work each day. 

Violence is an acute problem inside the jail, with more than 10 assaults on staff every week. The population – which numbered 1,364 two years ago – had risen this month to 1,513. 

‘Wanno’ – as HMP Wandsworth is known by its inmates – was where former Wimbledon champion Boris Becker spent his first few weeks after being jailed for hiding £2.5m of assets and loans in a bankruptcy fraud case.

Becker, who was later moved to Huntercombe prison in Oxfordshire, said being a famous tennis player meant nothing in a place where he was surrounded by ‘murderers, by drug dealers, by rapists, by people smugglers, by dangerous criminals‘.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast: ‘You fight every day for survival. Quickly, you have to surround yourself with the tough boys, as I would call it, because you need protection.’

The brutal realities of life inside the jail were exposed by ex-prisoner Chris Atkins in a book serialised by The Mail on Sunday.

Wandsworth hit the headlines last year with the alleged escape of 22-year-old terror suspect Daniel Khalife, who is said to have strapped himself to the underside of a Bidfood delivery truck with a makeshift harness made from prison bedsheets. 

The former British Army soldier was originally arrested in January on terrorism charges after plotting a fake bomb hoax at his army barracks at MoD Stafford and he is also accused of spying for an enemy state, which is understood to be Iran.

Khalife, who will stand trial this year, denies one charge of escape, one of committing an act prejudicial to the state, one of eliciting information about members of the Armed Forces and another of perpetrating a bomb hoax. 

Mr Taylor said it was ‘unfathomable’ that security had not improved since the incident in September 2023.  

Ian Acheson, the former head of security at HMP Wandsworth and author of Screwed: Britain’s Prison Crisis and How To Escape It, said the inspections revealed a prison where staff had lost control. 

‘When we were running Wandsworth we had the right number of staff who were experienced and clearly in charge of the environment,’ he told MailOnline. 

‘It was by no means a perfect place but there far fewer assaults on prisoners and far less suicide, self-harm and despair. One of the main reasons why all that has fallen apart is the overcrowding and the lack of experienced staff. 

‘The prison has descended even further since Charlie Taylor’s report two years ago – and that’s even after the escape of someone who was considered a threat to national security. 

‘Staff have no idea where the people they’ve unlocked are – in a place where people have escaped. It’s an absolute shambles that should stop at the door at Prison Service headquarters.’

Mr Taylor wrote in his letter to Justice Secretary Alex Chalk: ‘The poor outcomes we found at Wandsworth are systemic and cultural failures and stemmed from poor leadership at every level of the prison, from HMPPS and the Ministry of Justice.

‘Many well-meaning and hard-working leaders and staff persevered at Wandsworth, and their resilience was impressive, but they were often fighting against a tide of cross-cutting, intractable problems that require comprehensive, long-term solutions.

‘For this troubled prison to begin to recover, Wandsworth needs permanent experienced leaders at all levels who are invested in its long-term future to improve security, safety and guide their less experienced colleagues.

‘Until this happens, the risk of a further catastrophe, a self-inflicted death or escape from lawful custody, is ever present.’

Prisons minister Edward Argar said the ‘deeply concerning report’ shows the jail continues to face ‘significant challenges’ and it was ‘clear that on top of the additional support we’ve already provided since September to improve safety and security, including nearly £1 million of upgrades, we need to go further still.’

Extra experienced staff will be added to the prison’s management team in the coming weeks to provide the ‘leadership, culture change and training needed to turn Wandsworth around’, he said, adding: ‘In the interim we are deploying more staff, including prison officers, to the prison and will set out further action shortly.’

• Do you work inside Britain’s prison service or have information about prison failings? Contact [email protected]