Chaos Unleashed: Inside Britain’s £400 Million Prison Facing Bomb Scares and Bonking Screws!

BRITAIN’S £400million newest prison was hailed as “the standard for the future” when it opened its cell doors last year – but in the following 17 months it has been dogged by damning claims.

There has already been allegations of at least THREE flings between staff and lags, the bomb squad has been called in over a rumoured “pipe bomb” and violent prisoner clashes have erupted, according to a insider.

The , in Full Sutton, , which opened in March last year, was supposed to hold 1,500 inmates but is believed to contain 400 fewer due to staffing issues.

Part-run by private firm Mitie Care and Custody, it was erected as part of plans to ease Britain’s , which has led to more than 43,000 lags being freed after serving just 40 per cent of their sentences.

Even conceded the system was while vowing to deliver “the fastest prison building programme since the Victorian era”, promising 14,000 new spaces by 2031.

Then- – now Home Secretary – touted the prison as “the standard for the future, with cutting crime built into its very fabric” when it opened.

But judging by our insider’s sensational allegations, if HMP Millsike is the “standard for the future”, the future looks very bleak indeed.

And those hoping to see HMP Millsike as a template for success may be left wanting as former staff and our sources describe the “chaos” behind its walls.

Among the most shocking claims revealed to The Sun was our insider’s allegation that there has been at least three romances between prisoners and staff.

This includes one woman who allegedly became renowned among Millsike’s lag population for engaging in X-rated antics right under bosses’ noses.

Our source told us: “This officer would sneak off into the laundry room. She was well known for it among others on the landings.”

As for the alleged second, who worked in a management role, the source claims she was suspended after being “accused of an illicit relationship with an inmate”.

The third, which is said to involve a prison officer and happened in 2025, led to a suspension – but ended in tragedy.

Our source claims: “This lady arranged to visit her lover the following week. She was refused entry and unfortunately took her own life not long after that.”

In June this year, prison custody officer Beverley Frank, 42, received an eight-month suspended sentence after it was discovered she had a saucy relationship with a lag.

It is not known if she is one of the women spoken about by our insider.

But Frank, a mother, was found to have engaged in “steamy, sexualised exchanges” and sent erotic imagery, including snap in red underwear.

Frank, who was listed as ‘Jess Richardson’ and ‘Jess Love’ on the lag’s phone, was questioned about the month-long romance in September.

While being questioned, she admitted: “Do you know what? Yes, I have been doing it. I know it’s wrong.”

There is no suggestion Frank smuggled in a phone or drugs for the prisoner.

In addition to her suspended sentence, she was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, 15 days of rehabilitation and was slapped with a one-year ban from contacting the prisoner.

While refusing to comment on individual cases, Mitie states they expect colleagues to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and take action when it has not been met.

The romance claims follow Freedom of Information request data published this week that revealed 32 prison officers across the UK were subjected to disciplinary action for an “inappropriate relationship” in the year to 2025.

While the figure appears low, only a handful of prisons across England and Wales submitted data, and it’s a dramatic 166 per cent rise and 20 more cases reported than in the year until 2018.

Former staff have spoken about concerns for their safety while walking down the Millsike’s wings – and that trepidation certainly wouldn’t have been helped by an incident on July 9.

That day, emergency services were called to the lock-up and locals told the BBC that they saw a “bomb squad vehicle” enter the prison site and later heard a “loud bang”.

Our insider says rumours have swirled that a makeshift “pipe bomb” was created from stolen lawnmower fuel.

Humberside Police and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they did attend the prison, alongside an explosive ordnance disposal team.

Mitie insists they have never had an incident with a viable device or a detonation at the prison. They say they called in emergency services as part of their standard operating procedures.

Our insider tells us it is “comical that the prison denies there was a threat”. The source claims the lag who created the “device” was known for having a strong-disliking of authority figures.

They said: “He didn’t like staff and warned that he was going to cause a ‘huge problem’ for them, but wasn’t specific about what he meant.

“His partner called it in after he told her what he had done on the phone. He generally hated all figures of authority.

“They had to evacuate inmates directly above and below his call while the bomb squad came in and detonated it.

“Everyone in the prison heard the explosion. Local villagers saw the bomb squad driving in and heard the explosion too. But bizarrely, the prison continues to deny it.”

Prison officers told the BBC about “feeling unsafe on the wings” due to multiple incidents.

Trouble has also allegedly unfolded during outdoor exercise periods between ordinary and vulnerable prisoners – the latter our source describes as “mainly sex offenders and rapists”.

Despite being separated by fences and a distance apart, it is claimed that “low-level warfare” is regularly breaking out.

“To the ordinary prisoners, the prisoners on the other side are the scum of the earth,” they said. “There’s a lot of name calling and arguments breaking out.

“Issues are typically started by the vulnerable prisoners and they have chucked water bottles and fruit at prisoners on the other side.”

Staff seem to have been struggling too.

Steve Richardson, who worked in a maintenance capacity at Millsike for 10 months, told the BBC lags threw “faeces and urine” at him.

He also claimed a prisoner “absolutely lost it” and smashed six windows throwing pool balls and cues around. Mitie denies the claims.

Our insider suggests the incident took place in late 2025, during what is known inside as “the dark days”, when prisoners allegedly had less time out of cells due to staff shortages.

“There was a lot of hostility between prisoners and staff,” they said.

“Prisoners had a lot of anger towards the regime, which they considered poor and very inconsistent.”

In response to the problems, it was alleged that crooks were causing trouble and even flushing clothes down the toilet, leading to difficulties with the sewerage system. Mitie denies this.

Richardson also alleges a lag tried to escape by scaling a perimeter fence.

Thankfully, he was stopped by an elite prison squad from Operational Response and Resilience Unit (ORRU) who “stepped in and took him down”.

The ORRU, which only deals with the most serious incidents, was deployed to Millsike seven times in nine months during 2025, according to Freedom of Information request data.

That is triple the number of times it was called to HMP Fosse Way and HMP Northumberland and once more than HMP Oakwood. All three, like Millsike, are Cat C prisons..

Our insider claims lags have complained about being served “the worst food in the country” and once even said he received “raw, almost frozen chips”.

Mitie denies this and insists food is thoroughly checked before serving and that they have received no official complaints from prisoners.

Former prisoner officer Joe Chapman suspects many of the problems are due to Millsike being “pushed forward for opening far too early by the Government”.

He adds: “They are trying, but at this moment in time, in my opinion, failing.”

The Prison Reform Trust said it had received some “worrying and concerning” calls from prisoners fearing for their safety.

It’s believed the Independent Monitoring Board for the prison will publish its annual report next month, which will address safety concerns.

But for now, instead of being the exemplary blueprint for future prisons, it seems HMP Millsike is far from setting the bar.

A Mitie spokesperson told The Sun: “These allegations do not reflect the way the prison operates today.

“The prison works in line with established policies and procedures and is subject to independent oversight and scrutiny.

“The safety and wellbeing of prisoners, colleagues and visitors is a priority, and any concerns raised are taken seriously and investigated appropriately.

“Our teams provide professional care and support often in challenging circumstances, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe, secure and supportive environment for everyone in our care.”

The Ministry of Justice did not respond to The Sun’s request for comment.