Pampered prisoners at a north-east superjail have left the taxpayer with a massive repair bill after trashing common rooms and cells.
The bill for fixing damage caused at HMP Grampian – which only opened 18 months ago – has already hit £145,000.
The Scottish Prison Service’s own record – released under freedom of information legislation – show 16 cells have been vandalised, four common spaces have been smashed and four more unspecified spaces have been damaged.
Inmates at the jail in Peterhead enjoy hour-long video calls to families and Christmas dinners which cost more than those served to hospital patients.
Individual cells have en suite bathrooms and safes to protect belongings.
Before it opened, prison bosses revealed that inmates would enjoy sea views, underfloor heating, an on-site hairdresser and artificial turf football pitches.
Last night, local councillor Alan Buchan said: “The prisoners have gone in there, a brand new prison, vandalised the place and unnecessarily caused this damage.
“Realistically, we should be making them do something to recover these costs.
“This prison cost about £150million to build and we’re struggling to get things like a railway to Peterhead. We’ve got 1,000 people on the housing list, and that type of money would have effectively ended the housing problem.”
Local MSP Stewart Stevenson added that he would be visiting the prison personally.
He said: “This is disappointing. I shall be visiting the prison shortly and will discuss with staff whether there is any additional support they require.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Prison Service declined to say why the repair bill was so high at HMP Grampian.
Just weeks after the new jail opened, its Ellon Wing was the scene of a 14-hour stand-off between police officers, prison staff and inmates.