Prisoners get drunk on hand gel
September 25th 2009 Alcohol hand gel which was put in a prison to help combat swine flu has been banned after prisoners started drinking it.
Instead of rubbing the detergent into their hands, inmates at Verne Prison on Portland, Dorset have been placing their mouths over the dispensers and consuming it, according to reports in The Telegraph.
One prisoner is said to have become aggressive after downing the gel and started a fight with another inmate.
Andy Fear, a member of the Verne's Prison Officer's Association committee, said: "These canisters were originally put out because of the swine flu threat.
"It was subsequently reported by some association members working here that the inmates had been incorrectly using them, for want of a better phrase.
"The suspicion that was reported to us was that some of the inmates had drunk them.
"Of course some of the officers expressed concerns over potentially having to deal with prisoners who have had a drink.
"Following this, the duty governor John Hanson took the decision to remove the gels from the wings."
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