Jails fear as minister says concrete crisis will be over by Christmas

A WATCHDOG today warned of potential “chaos” if crumbling concrete was found in prisons, as a minister insisted that the school buildings crisis should be resolved well before Christmas.

- Jitendra Joshi

Beleaguered Education Secretary Gillian Keegan was present at No10 as the Prime Minister chaired his first Cabinet meeting after the summer recess, facing a lengthening list of political headaches including the economy and Channel migrants.

With the RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) issue now thrust up the agenda, two by-elections in the offing will pose an even bigger test for the Conservatives.

The crumbling concrete problem is not confined to schools, with hospitals and court buildings also being surveyed. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said it would be “enormously concerning” if the weaker concrete was found in prison buildings, warning that it would mean “chaos” as jail space was already in short supply.

After the problem emerged in schools, the Government in May ordered an assessment into how many prisons contained the cheap material, which was commonly used from the Fifties to the Nineties and is now past its lifespan, posing a risk of sudden collapse. “The results of those checks haven’t yet come back to the ministers or to the prison service. We wait and see what will happen as a result of that,” Mr Taylor told Times Radio.