Crooks are now breaking into Ford Prison

The prison has also had people sneaking in with drugs, alcohol and mobile phones for inmates.

The Independent Monitoring Board report blamed a shortage of staffing at night and at weekends and an outdated CCTV security system.

It said the perimeter fence was accessible to the public. The board said better CCTV was a priority.

The report outlined issues of concern at the prison, in Arundel, between November 2007 and October 2008. The prison houses 557 inmates and concentrates on resettlement.

The report also highlighted what it said was the woefully inadequate sanitary arrangements for prisoners within wooden huts.

However, the prison was praised for its injection-moulding workshop winning a contract making plastic poppy stems for the Royal British Legion.

The report concluded that there should be further funding to combat 'another year of a continuing lack of investment in an old prison'.

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