Prison officers stage mass walkout over pay

Three quarters of officers at the prison took part in a strike called by the the Prison Officer's Association (POA) over a pay row joining some 20,000 people around the country.

Staff gathered at the prison gates to demonstrate following the strike announcement at 7am.

The union agreed the strike after the Government agreed a pay increase of 2.5 per cent in two stages, the first being a 1.5 per cent increase.

In England and Wales the starting salary for a prison officer is 17,744 a year which can rise up to 26,858 a year with long service.

During the strike union members said they would not compromise the safety of prisoners or security whilst getting their message across.

At Lewes prisoners remained locked in their cells for most of the day with a skeleton staff of non-union workers running the prison.

The strike was planned to last around 24 hours but was called off at around 1pm when a High Court injunction was obtained by the Ministry of Justice.

More talks are expected to be held today (Friday).