These tiny meals are 'causing riots' in a Welsh prison

'They get a jacket potato and a spoonful of beans in the afternoon, and then at dinner they get a bread roll with a spoonful of tuna mayo'

Inadequate meals are contributing to outbreaks of violence at the crisis-hit Parc prison, according to inmates interviewed for a damning inspection report.

Earlier this week a report by the chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, highlighted a range of serious problems at the Bridgend jail, including an "alarming" flow of drugs that led to "a spate of tragic deaths". Last year there were 17 inmate deaths at Parc — more than any other UK prison — of which five were drug-related, three self-inflicted, eight of natural causes, and one of unknown causes.

The inspection also found G4S — the private security giant that runs Parc — had been "slow to respond to prisoners’ frustration at the poor quality and quantity of the food". Mr Taylor wrote that "not having enough to eat" was among the factors behind high levels of violence, in the view of prisoners he interviewed.

On several occasions in the last year, WalesOnline has contacted G4S about concerns from prisoners' families over a lack of food at Parc. Each time, the firm insisted the complaints were unfounded. We received the same response last June after we had heard from an inmate's mother that an episode of "rioting" — which saw three prisoners taken to hospital — was partly sparked by fury over there being "hardly any food left in the servery to feed everybody". She said at the time: "It all happened because the prisoners in there have had enough of G4S and how they're being treated."

Family members of other prisoners have now told WalesOnline they were not surprised by the inspection findings — which included that just 23% of inmates said they had enough to eat.

The wife of one inmate told us: "They would get a jacket potato and a spoonful of beans as their main hot meal, in the afternoon, and then at dinner they would get a bread roll with a spoonful of something like tuna mayo, but not enough to fill the roll. They didn't get veg.

"My husband was working in the servery at one point and every time he served a meal he'd apologise for the portions. On a Friday, when they had fish and chips, there wouldn't be enough to feed everyone so you'd have people going without. The officers would phone over to the kitchen and say, 'You haven't fed everyone.'

"Once there was a visit from inspectors, and when my husband showed them the portion he was given they said, 'Wow, that cannot be a grown man's main meal.'

"A two-year-old would eat more than that. I would phone up and complain but G4S wouldn't have it. They insisted it was all fine."

Mr Taylor described the food served at mealtimes as "not always adequate". Although inmates could pay for food from the prison shop, the inspector found it "did not sell sufficient healthy items, including fresh fruit and vegetables".

The family of one prisoner told WalesOnline he "almost lived on pot noodles" from the shop. Another inmate would often find very little food left at mealtimes because his cell was on the top floor, meaning he was in the final group of inmates to go down for meals, according to his family.

Mr Taylor wrote: "Many prisoners told us that both the quality and quantity of the food were unacceptable. They said that the menu did not provide sufficient healthy options and complained about a lack of fruit and vegetables. Leaders explained that the main kitchen was too small to cater for the population, and that a shortage of storage space limited fresh fruit and vegetable options.

"We observed a lack of supervision by officers at mealtimes, which led to inconsistencies in the portions of food being served. We also saw some prisoners on the serveries using gloved hands rather than utensils to handle food, including halal and vegan options, which caused cross-contamination and was inappropriate."

G4S says it is working with its caterer, Aramark, and consulting with inmates on a review of food provision in light of the report. The jail says it "acknowledges criticisms from prisoners about the food" and will be "expanding the range of goods in the prison shop to provide fresh fruit and vegetables".

The report found “a serious deterioration in standards” at the prison including severe problems with self-harm, violence and drugs. Deficiencies included cell windows that could be easily opened from inside, allowing drugs to be pulled in from drones — a problem previously revealed by WalesOnline. Work to replace windows is ongoing, according to G4S.

In 2022 the jail received a generally positive inspection report including a 'reasonably good' rating for safety. But that same year G4S won a ten-year £400million contract and then allowed the prison to be "destabilised", according to the new inspection report, which dubbed this contract "the root" of many of the jail's problems.

WalesOnline has asked the UK Government if it will hand out such long contracts to private prison operators in the future. The Government did not answer that question although a spokeswoman did say: "We are working closely with G4S on new measures at HMP Parc to stop criminals smuggling drugs and other illicit items into the prison."

A major concern from the inspection was the jail's dental service. At the time of the previous inspection, in 2022, waits for routine dental care were around 18 months. Since then the service had reduced further with inmates only getting treatment for "urgent" cases. The report found: "The lack of progress on increasing dental surgery space was inexcusable, given the timeframe and the poor outcomes for dental health."

WalesOnline spoke to the family of one prisoner who allegedly had to wait three agonising days for treatment of a serious dental abscess.

A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, which is responsible for healthcare at the jail, said: “The health board welcomes the report’s acknowledgement of the improvements made to the oversight of healthcare provision at HMP Parc. However, we recognise that more can be done, particularly in lowering the waiting times for access to dental care, where a current lack of space means we are limited in the number of patients we can treat. We are working at pace with the prison to increase this provision.”

Reacting to the findings, Welsh Affairs committee chair Ruth Jones said: “Once again, Parc prison has generated alarming headlines. I have long been concerned about the situation for Parc’s inmates, and this report only compounds my worries. In the past I have been encouraged by the progress made at Parc; its director, Will Styles, is taking important steps forward.

"But clearly leaders at the prison need to go much further and faster. G4S must ensure that officials have the resources they need to actually deliver on their promising plans. Next week I will hold an urgent meeting with the head of the prison service in Wales. I will ask him how he plans to respond to these issues, as well as how the prison service is monitoring the situation at Parc."