- Nine UK prisons , including HMP Dartmoor, Exeter and Leeds , are currently battling "above actionable" levels of cancer-causing radon gas, according to new data obtained via Freedom of Information requests.
- This revelation expands on previous findings, bringing the total number of prisons that have recorded radon levels above the legal limit at some point to 24, an increase from 16 sites reported in February.
- The Ministry of Justice ( MoJ ) has implemented mitigation measures such as ventilation and appointed Radiation Protection Advisors, but the Prison Officers Association (POA) expresses concern that staff may still be at risk, urging the MoJ to learn from past mistakes at Dartmoor.
- The ongoing issue compounds the existing prison capacity crisis, raising fears that potential further closures of affected sites could place significant strain on the overcrowded prison estate. The nine prisons are HMP Dartmoor, East Sutton Park, Exeter, Leeds, Lincoln, Maidstone, Parc, Portland and The Verne.
- Hundreds of former HMP Dartmoor staff and prisoners are pursuing group legal action against the MoJ for compensation, while the government continues to pay approximately £4 million annually for the unusable Dartmoor, despite high radon levels being known since 2020.
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