PRISON inspectors have highlighted some "serious deficiencies" in the management of Long Lartin prison.

The jail holds some of the most dangerous offenders in Britain, with nearly half of the 428 prisoners serving life sentences.

Following a six-day inspection in July, Anne Owers, chief inspector of prisons, raised concerns about lack of activity, levels of educational provision, induction procedures and simmering racial tension. Her team also noted that 80 per cent of prisoners believed it was easy to get hold of drugs, particularly opiates such as heroin.

Despite these criticisms, inspectors said there were still many good aspects to the environment at the prison. Mrs Owers said: "Overall, Long Lartin was certainly a safe and comfortable prison for its staff and most of its prisoners and there were pockets of excellent work with those prisoners who could access treatment programmes. However, there were considerable gaps and deficits."

Although, in theory, 87 per cent of prisoners could access jobs or education, the report says that this is far from true in practice. The chief inspector also warned of the dangers of racial tension, with more than a quarter of the prison's inmates being from black and ethnic minorities.

"Overall there was no clear direction or strategy and there should be: we detected underlying tensions among prisoners and a lack of confidence among staff and managers, which could lead to serious problems if left unattended."

Long Lartin governor Francis Masserick said: "The observations made about shortcomings are not new and are a matter of regret. Revised staff work attendance arrangements are under active review to tackle the recent poor history of failing to provide predictable regimes for prisoners.

"The inspectorate expressed concerns about some aspects of the establishment's race-relations policy and its delivery, which the management is now actively addressing.