PRISON officers are disproportionately using force against black inmates in Kent and no action has been taken to address the problem, inspectors have warned.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said he was also alarmed that new inmates were routinely strip-searched on arrival at HMP Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey.

He described the practice as “concerning” and said it was “disappointing to find that the prison had not managed to improve since the last inspection.”

Two inmates had taken their own lives since the last inspection, and Mr Clarke’s team “identified lengths of material hanging from doorways in two first-night cells which were potential ligature points.”

Violence was also an issue at the jail, which holds over 1,000 inmates.

“In the previous six months, there had been 131 assaults, including 42 on staff, and 55 fights,” Mr Clarke said. One in five assaults left the victim needing hospital treatment.