Prisoners will be held in police cells for the first time in 14 years with jails running out of space, the Government admitted today.
Justice Minister Damian Hinds told MPs he had triggered Operation Safeguard after an "acute and sudden increase in the prison population" meant 400 police cells were needed.
He blamed a surge in court cases after a barristers’ strike during the summer for fuelling the numbers of offenders sent to prison.
