An inmate at a Suffolk prison was bitten by a rat while sorting through rubbish, a damning report into the state of prisons in England and Wales has revealed.

Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB), which monitors the fair and humane treatment of prisoners, has published a thematic monitoring report on the state of prisons, which describes prisoners' conditions as "appalling".

The assessment also highlights a number of biting incidents at jails due to unhygienic conditions, including attacks by false widow spiders, cockroach infestations, biting flies in showers, dead rodents rotting on wings and cells taken out of use due to bedbugs.

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The rat bite at Hollesley Bay, near Woodbridge, was among the incidents highlighted in the report.

The IMB's national chair Elisabeth Davies said: "Prisoners routinely live in conditions that can only be described as appalling.

"Flooded corridors, cramped filthy cells, leaks of raw sewage and rat and insect infestations in kitchens, showers and on wings – these are the environments in which prisoners are expected to be reformed and rehabilitated.

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"And prisoners face these conditions in all areas, whether they are working, eating, sleeping or receiving medical care."

She also highlighted decades of underinvestment in infrastructure and equipment, which had stripped away "much of the estate's resilience".

Buildings were "unfit for purpose," she said and the report highlighted delayed maintenance and repairs which had safety implications for prisons.

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There were heating, ventilation and flooding issues, while laundry and kitchen equipment frequently broke down.

Prisoners with disabilities faced obstacles to participating in every aspect of prison life, while there was little accountability when maintenance providers' performance fell short.

Lord Timpson, minister for prisons and probation, said: “This is a very concerning report that once again highlights the shocking extent of the prison crisis we inherited.

“The government has already taken immediate action to address the crowding chaos engulfing our jails.

"We are now focusing on improving conditions in the long-term so our prisons create better citizens, not better criminals.”