A “VICIOUS circle” of substance abuse and violence continues to dominate life in a Midlands prison branded “fundamentally unsafe” by the official watchdog.

Category C prison HMP Onley, in Warwickshire, received the lowest rating of “poor” for safety after an inspection in 2016.

A report on a new inspection in November last year has revealed that little has changed. Of 18 recommendations made by the Prisons Inspectorate, only five had been implemented.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said: “It was particularly disappointing, therefore, to find that at this latest inspection, two-and-a-half years later, the prison was still fundamentally unsafe.

“There was a vicious circle where fear, frustration and boredom increased the demand for drugs, which in turn fuelled the violence and thus completed the circle.”

One in six prisoners has acquired a drug habit since entering HMP Onley, and almost half of inmates said it was easy to obtain banned substances, the report said.

Inspectors found that only half the men in the “training prison” were engaged in “purposeful activity” at any one time, with almost 40 per cent locked in their cells during the day.

Inspectors noted that the prison had run a restricted daily regime for more than four years because of chronic staff shortages.

Although prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and fights had decreased, assaults on staff had increased from 25 to 53 in the previous six months.

Despite the prison’s location, 80 per cent of its prisoners are from London, thanks to its redesignation as a resettlement prison for Greater London by Chris Grayling when he was justice secretary.

The Howard League for Penal Reform said the outcome of the redesignation was that prisoners sent from London were disoriented, dislocated and received few visits from friends and family.

League chief executive Frances Crook said: “Here is a prison that was itself dislocated, under misguided reforms led by Chris Grayling, now holding men who have been dislocated from their families and often placed far from home.

“Many are then exposed to drugs and violence.

“Ministers have rightly identified that we must ease pressure on prisons like Onley. Ultimately, reducing the number of prisoners is the key to saving lives, protecting staff and making the public safer.”

Prison & Probation Service chief executive Michael Spurr said a “major recruitment drive” would increase prison officer numbers at Onley by 30 per cent compared with last year and a new drug recovery unit is due to open there.