Neighbours plagued by drones and intruders fear plans to expand jail

ANOTHER day, another drone flying overhead. This is just life, according to people who live in one part of Bridgend.

- LEWIS SMITH

It is worrying that the grounds of the prison cannot be controlled in the current circumstances. Expansion will only escalate all of the existing issues that are not being well-managed

(Wales news service)

That would be bad enough, but when the drones are potentially carrying illicit substances, it becomes doubly so.

The people in question live alongside troubled Parc Prison in Bridgend.

They claim their lives in the community of Coity are already impacted by goings-on at the jail and on its borders.

Now they are digesting plans to expand the facility in order to house hundreds more inmates and staff, making it, reportedly, the second-largest prison in Europe.

The proposals to accommodate an extra 345 residents and 160 members of staff at HMP Parc were submitted to Bridgend County Borough Council on behalf of the UK's Ministry of Justice this year.

It followed a report into the prison earlier this year that found failure to tackle an "alarming" flow of drugs into the facility, which led to "a spate of tragic deaths".

HMP Parc is a Category B prison. It opened in 1997 and is operated by private security firm G4S on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. It currently holds 1,670 inmates and has 676 members of staff.

Plans for the site could eventually see the development of a new "K-shaped houseblock" along with the repositioning of parts of the boundary wall and the construction of a new road alongside the boundary of the northern car park.

It would also see the development of a replacement kitchen and dining block with a new gym, a multi-faith building, an education building, and additional car parking and infrastructure.