PRISON inspectors have criticised the way staff at a high security jail risk losing medication and the treatment of prisoners in segregation.

A report following an unannounced inspection of North Yorkshire prison, HMP Full Sutton, in January by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons, concluded the prison was doing well in many areas and found few prisoners felt unsafe and levels of violence were low.

The jail is thought to hold killers Dennis Nilsen and Jeremy Bamber among its 578 inmates.

The report said activity on the segregation unit caused inspectors "some concern", and they "were not confident in the legitimacy of some decision making", and "relationships between staff and prisoners on the unit were distant".

It said "for many segregated prisoners, care planning was inadequate", "too many remained segregated for long periods", and there was "little in place to help to prevent psychological deterioration caused by prolonged segregation".

The inspectors also said medication was transported to one wing in a briefcase, then "administered in a door way on a small table in full sight of other prisoners".

The report said: "We consider this to be a high-risk situation in terms of the method of transport and the lack of confidentiality being provided to the recipient of the medication.

The prison was praised for its forum for gay, bisexual and transgender prisoners, which met regularly, and the report said "the establishment is well led, confident and capable".