The family of a young inmate who hanged himself in his cell have criticised a series of failings that contributed to his death.

Government ministers will discuss a damning report into the death of 20-year-old Paul Watson.

An inquest jury refused to return a suicide verdict on his death, pointing instead to blunders at Castington young offenders' institution, in Northumberland.

His family blamed the institution and the system for Mr Watson's death only three days after he was locked up.

Mr Watson, of Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, was found hanging in a cell in the remand wing at Castington in March this year.

Jurors returned a verdict of accidental death and listed the factors believed to have contributed his death - that he was not placed in a shared cell, and that there were not enough check-ups while he was alone in his cell.

A self-harm form had been issued for Mr Watson because he was believed to be at risk of causing himself injury. He was placed in a cell next to an inmate who was also at risk of self-harm.

Another factor was that the overall regime at Castington at that time was inadequate in providing the appropriate precautions to prevent what happened to Mr Watson.

Northumberland coroner Ian McCreath is to send the findings of the inquest to Home Secretary David Blunkett. The jury's verdict was welcomed by Mr Watson's father Trevor, 46, from Rowlands Gill.

The father-of-four said: "Something needs to be done if the system can do that to someone. It could be anybody's son.

"In my mind, from day one, I never ever thought that Paul had taken his own life.

"I don't think there were the amount of checks that there should have been for someone supposedly in a self-harm regime."

Mr Watson's family believe he was encouraged by another inmate to fake an attempted suicide to get into the jail's health care unit where conditions were regarded as easier.