SAFETY has deteriorated at Leeds Prison, an inspection has found.

A report by Martin Lomas, Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons, showed that standards in four tests - for respect, purposeful activity, resettlement, and, particularly, safety - had deteriorated markedly at Armley since a positive inspection three years ago.

But inspectors found good leadership at the prison and positive staff.

They were concerned that levels of violence had increased significantly and were double what is typically seen in local prisons. The prevalence of new psychoactive substances was a major factor in increased violence.

There had been seven self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection in 2013 and although staff were caring, issues needed to be addressed.

The inspectors also found the reception environment was poor and staff sometimes failed to pass on key information about vulnerabilities; use of force and segregation was high, levels of crowding were very high and the majority of cells were poorly equipped.

Support was generally good for men with substance misuse problems; the accommodation was reasonably well maintained; learning and skills provision had improved and resettlement support work was good.

Mr Lomas said: “This was a disappointing inspection of a prison which we assessed to have deteriorated in three of our four healthy prison tests.

"Fundamental issues around safety were having a significant destabilising impact across the prison and needed to be addressed urgently.

"It was also concerning that some aspects of early days support were too frail to provide reassurance that the many vulnerable men received into the prison were provided with an appropriate level of care.

"The new governor and his team had made a good start in getting to grips with these challenges and it was positive to see that they had a good understanding of the issues faced, as well as plans or ongoing actions to address them."