Final days as Shrewsbury's Dana prison site cleared out
Shrewsbury's Dana prison was one step closer towards shutting for the final time today.
Furniture and equipment was being removed from the town centre jail and moved to other prisons around the country.
Prison governor Gerry Hendry said that the prison should be completely empty by the end of this month.
He said: "We have been moving stuff for two weeks and our expectation is the prison will be empty by March 28.
"Today is just desks and furniture. It is going to other prisons to save money for the public purse."
"The library is going to Stoke Heath because that is the only other Shropshire prison. Health care equipment is going back to Shropshire PCT.
"At the moment it looks like any house or office block that is having a move.
"It is sad but part of what has to be done with the decommissioning of the prison," he added.
Staff are now preparing for a final parade on March 22 to mark the official closure of the prison.
The last five inmates left the site last month, marking an end to more than 200 years of the Dana acting as the county town's jail.
More than 200 members of staff at the jail have been affected by the closure, but no compulsory redundancies have be made with workers either opting to leave voluntarily or to transfer to other prisons in the region.
The Government is aiming to scrap ageing prisons and cut costs by £63 million per year.
Ministers are also investigating the possibility of creating a 'super-prison' with the aim of it accommodating more than 2,000 inmates.
But the Prison Officers' Association has criticised the closure moves with officials claiming that they will lead to greater overcrowding and put both staff and prisoners at risk.
Further talks are due to take place next month between Shropshire Council and the Ministry of Justice about the possibility of turning the Shrewsbury site into a hotel once the closure is finalised.
