Nottinghamshire

Special Constables in Nottinghamshire were able to see the funny side when pasties were spilled over the A1 earlier and took to Twitter to share their amusement.

Staff at HMP Ranby are working with Nottinghamshire Police to identify the ringleaders who led an eight-hour disturbance at the prison.

The disturbance began at around midday and was not resolved until 8.10pm.

A number of inmates were driven away from the prison near Retford in several vehicles and were heard shouting and banging inside.

A disturbance involving prisoners at HMP Ranby has ended according to the Ministry of Justice.

The department said in a statement: "The disturbance at HMP Ranby has ended safely. No staff or prisoners injured. Visits tomorrow will take place as normal."

Shouting and banging could be heard as a security vans left HMP Ranby where a disturbance involving prisoners is ongoing.

A number of vehicles from the GEOAmey prisoner escort and custody company were seen entering the facility.

When they left a short time later banging could be heard on the sides of the vehicles and shouting from inside was heard.

Firefighters joined their colleagues from the police at HMP Ranby where a disturbance involving prisoners is ongoing.

Shortly after 7.30pm around 15 firefighters arrived outside the prison and began putting on their full kit before walking in through the main gate.

Officers carrying shields and other equipment were also seen going into the prison earlier.

The Labour MP whose Bassetlaw constituency includes HMP Ranby said his repeated warnings about "dysfunctional" management and serious staff shortages at the prison had been ignored by ministers and prison officials.

John Mann said: "It is a prison where, for quite a time, it's been clear prisoners have been running the prison."

He added that there were 80 fewer prison officers than previously - a 20% reduction - with many experienced individuals having been "forced out" over the past two years.

He said: "There are not the numbers or the expertise among the staff to deal with it. The governors were warned, the Government was warned, by me and by many others, that this would lead to disaster. He added: "I have raised this directly with the prisons minister more than once."

A fire was started at HMP Ranby during an ongoing disturbance which saw 120 inmates refused to return to their cells, The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said.

A spokesman for the Prison Service said minor damage was sustained and there were no injuries to staff or prisoners.

HMP Ranby was described as "in crisis" by the Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick after a critical report was released about the institution.

Following an unannounced 11-day inspection by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in March, the report found two prisoners died through "self-inflicted deaths" last year, and a further two have died in a similar way since then.

Conditions in part of the prison, which holds more than 1,000 men, were described as dirty and prisoners were found to have climbed netting in a bid to force a transfer to another facility.

Nearly half the population said they had felt unsafe having been victimised or intimidated, findings showed.

Evidence was also found of an increasing number of incidences of self-harm at the category C training prison, and the availability of legal highs was also found to have increased.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said the report showed a prison "in crisis".

Sixty prisoners are "actively involved" in the disturbance at HMP Ranby after twice as many inmates refused to return to their cells, the Prison Officers' Association (POA) has said.

Mr Travis said today's disturbance was "no surprise" to the POA.