Future of Dartmoor prison rests on spending review

The future of Dartmoor prison is set to be decided when the government looks at its spending plans this summer, a prison spokesperson has said.

HMP Dartmoor has been closed since July 2024 after high levels of radon were discovered at the site.

About 175 inmates were moved to other prisons due to the colourless and odourless radioactive gas.

A HM Prison Service spokesperson said the prison would continue to be temporarily closed, and funding for work would be "determined through the upcoming spending review".

A small number of staff have remained to oversee the jail, the spokesperson said.

They added no-one had been made redundant and bosses were "working tirelessly to ensure staff are supported and safely placed in alternative roles", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"We continue to take advice from specialists to explore how it can be reopened as quickly as possible," they said.

Peak radon levels detected at the prison in 2020 and 2023 were 10 times recommended workplace limits, according to the response to a Freedom of Information request from the BBC.

Radon is formed by decaying uranium found in rocks and soils, and levels may be higher in area rich in granite, such as Dartmoor, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].