Guns could be delivered by drones into jails, prison chiefs fear.
Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said the surge in unmanned aerial vehicles was his “number one concern”.
He has warned they could be used to carry firearms for lags to settle turf wars or for escape attempts.
The number of drone incidents at prisons in England and Wales has risen tenfold since 2020 to 1,063 last year.
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Mr Taylor said “the current response from the prison service to this threat is inadequate.”
He added: “The risk of drugs, plus other sorts of contraband, is huge.
“There is the destabilising effect of drugs in prison, so prisoners under the influence, but also debt, which equals violence, and the dominance of organised crime.”
Asked if he was concerned about guns, he said: “Yes, it almost doesn’t bear thinking about.”
A government spokesperson said: “We have a zero-tolerance approach on contraband and are working with the police to deter, detect and disrupt the growing illegal use of drones around prisons.”