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LONDON - Prisoners are being held in court cells that cost more per night than a suite at the Ritz.
The British Government faced condemnation after it was revealed that 77 prisoners had been forced to use cells in courts since the start of the year at an average cost of £1800 ($4840) a night.
Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said the average cost of court cells was more than the £1600 a night that is charged for a deluxe suit at the Ritz Hotel in Piccadilly, London.
The figures came as the prison population reached breaking point. The prison service said that nearly 300 people were held in police cells on Friday as official figures showed there were 80,456 inmates in the prison system. The figure is less than 350 below 80,800, the absolute maximum capacity of the prison system.
Prison service officials said the population behind bars had fallen by 135 since last week's record of 80,600 and insisted that court cells were used for an overnight stay only as a last resort.
John Reid, the Home Secretary, confirmed that prisoners have spent a night in court cells on 77 occasions this year at a cost of £140,000.
- INDEPENDENT
