Cash found for institution fence

Money to put up a fence to prevent inmates at Shropshire's young offenders' institution climbing on to a rooftop and giving rise to "major incidents" has been found urgently and has stopped the problem, it was revealed today.

Gang culture continues to be a day-to-day problem at Stoke Heath Young Offenders' Institution, near Market Drayton, and the attitude of the young people continues to be disrespectful, according to the Independent Monitoring Board's annual report.

The submission of racist incident reporting forms has risen by more than 25 per cent – from 139 to 187 – but the board says this could be attributed to the fact that reporting procedures have been made more transparent.

The number of assaults on staff is an ongoing concern and the number of adjudications continues to rise year on year, reflecting the increasing levels of violence in prisons, the report says.

But this year the facility has achieved two "significant milestones" by being awarded the Investors in People status and enhancing the level of the prison from two to three following external inspections.

The report says: "We feel that these achievements are reflected in the atmosphere in the prison and indicate the level of commitment of staff at all levels."