Britain's 'crumbling concrete' scandal has widened after it was confirmed that potentially dangerous RAAC had been found in a fifth prison.
HMP Northumberland, a privately-run Category C male prison operated by Sodexo, said it had found the concrete substitute in two blocks on site. The discovery means the capacity of the prison has been reduced by 112, forcing inmates to be moved around.
Sodexo said specialists had now been brought in to make sure the building remained a "safe and secure environment". Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which is much weaker than standard concrete, was a cheap material used in construction between the 1950s and 1980s - but it is now beyond its 30-year lifespan, leaving it vulnerable to sudden collapse with no warning.
It comes after 234 schools and colleges were confirmed to have RAAC after a wave of urgent inspections. The Mirror was the first major news outlet to highlight the school closures due to the issue last year. A total of 42 NHS hospitals were also recently found to have the material on site, with seven buildings requiring a full rebuild.
RAAC has also been found nationwide in other buildings from the period, such as courtrooms, theatres, nightclubs and cinemas. Following the latest announcement, five prisons in total have now been found to contain the material - HMP Onley, HMP Portland, HMP Leyhill, HMP Parkhurst and HMP Northumberland. A probation site in Westgate Street, Cardiff has also been impacted. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told the Mirror that remediation work would be funded from "existing budgets" in the prison service.
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In January, a Freedom of Information request submitted by Construction News found that the cost of removing and replacing RAAC in prisons in England and Wales came to around £900,000. But this was back when only three prisons had been found with it, meaning the bill is now expected to be substantially higher.
An HMP Northumberland spokesperson said: “Following a series of surveys, RAAC has been identified in a few areas at HMP Northumberland. We are working closely with the prison service and other specialists to make sure that all appropriate measures remain in place to maintain a safe and secure environment for those who live and work in the prison.”
"We can confirm that operations that have been impacted by RAAC include HB3 and 4 – these have been progressively closed to allow for remedial work, which means that operational capacity has temporarily reduced by 112, however prisoners affected were relocated where appropriate.”
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