ALTCOURSE'S SPICE CRISIS

Four ambulances called in one day as prison wrestles with 'zombie drug' problem

- BY PATRICK EDRICH

"FOUR ambulances" were called to HMP Altcourse in just one day as staff and prisoners battle the growing threat of "spice attacks".

Sources at the category B privately operated prison in Fazakerley have told the ECHO of growing concerns about staff security due to the threat of drugs.

A source who works as a prison officer at Altcourse said there were "attacks on staff and other prisoners on a daily basis" due to the drug problem.

They added on Friday, August 1, "four ambulances went out due to the amount of spice attacks."

The officer, whose identity the ECHO is protecting, told us that the prison had "lost all security" and the drugs were being brought into the prison because "hardly anything is coming over the wall".

The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) told the ECHO that it received four call-outs on August 1 for four different incidents.

A spokesperson said there had been "numerous" calls to the ambulance service between July 28 and August 1, but not all needed a call-out.

The spokesperson declined to say what the reason for any of the call-outs were.