Inmates dug through Winchester prison walls with plastic cutlery, report finds

Winchester prison inmates were able to damage cell walls with simple implements, said the report. Photograph: Britpix/Alamy

If you are one those people who turns up their nose at the plot of the Shawshank Redemption for being a little too far-fetched, this may come as a surprise.

Some jails have become so decrepit that, in one case, Winchester prison inmates were able to tunnel through the walls using only plastic cutlery, a damning report on facilities in England and Wales has found.