PRISONER assaults at Styal Prison have almost quadrupled over the past four years.

Figures released last week by the Ministry of Justice, show that to the end of March 2017, assaults around the country reached a record high of 26,643 - up 20 per cent from the 2015/2016 figures.

However, the percentage increase was much higher at the 486-capacity Styal Prison, with 143 assaults on fellow prisoners or prison staff - up 27 per cent.

The prison accommodates women, including a mother and baby unit, with babies up to 18 months of age.

The latest figures show that since 2013/2014 assaults have risen from 37 to 55 in 2014/2015 and to 112 in 2015/2016, with the latest figure reaching a record high.

The monthly totals for reported assaults at Styal between April 2016 and March 2017, are as follows: 14 in April, five in May, 17 in June, 14 in July, 11 in August, eight in September, 12 in October, 13 in November, 12 in December, nine in January, 11 in February and 17 in March. Of these incidents, five were classed as serious assaults.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice told the Wilmslow Guardian that Styal had introduced a number of measures to tackle incidents of violence.

These include introducing new staff posts focusing on safety in the establishment, delivering informed training to staff focusing on care for those women with the most complex needs, working with partners and charity organisations to embed values of decency and respect and using peer mentors to increase communication with offenders.

Justice Secretary David Lidington said: “Since taking over the role last month, my top priority has been on improving safety and security in our prisons. These figures reinforce how crucial it is that we make progress as quickly as possible.

“As the Chief Inspector of Prisons rightly observed in his annual report, we cannot achieve successful reform and rehabilitation unless our prisons are safe and secure – and this is something I am committed to achieving.

“I have seen first-hand the challenges our dedicated and hardworking prison staff face.

“Boosting the frontline is critical to achieving safety and the number of prison officers we are recruiting is rising, with the number of new prison officers joining the service at its highest level since 2010. ”

Last month, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, published his annual report which focused on conditions in prisons across the country in which he warned that prison reform would not succeed unless the violence and prevalence of drugs in jail were addressed and prisoners were allowed out of their cells for more of the working day.

Mr Clarke added: “Why have so many of our jails become unsafe?

“Many of the reasons have been well documented.

“The prevalence of drugs inside prisons and the seeming inability to keep them out has been a major factor.

“Debt, bullying and self-segregation by prisoners looking to escape the violence generated by the drugs trade are commonplace.

“This has all been compounded by staffing levels in many jails that are simply too low to keep order and run a decent regime that allows prisoners to be let out of their cells to get to training and education and have access to basic facilities.”

The MoJ figures also showed that nationally suicide (316 deaths) and self-harm (40,414) had risen by more than 17 per cent to March 2017.

There was one death recorded at Styal last October when 26-year-old Celeste Craig was found dead in her cell. A spokesman for the Prison and Probation Ombudsman told the Guardian: “The PPO has concluded its investigation but cannot comment further until the outcome of the inquest is known.”