A PRISON officer at Wymott jail has claimed there is a 'riot waiting to happen' after staff were attacked by drunken prisoners over Christmas.

The officer, who does not wish to be named, claimed prison authorities were more concerned with government targets than the safety of staff and prisoners and says he contacted The Citizen to highlight his concerns over the way the prison at Ulnes Walton, near Leyland, is being run.

He said problems include:

Prisoners getting drunk on hooch illegally brewed at the category C jail.

New government guidelines which mean governors cannot punish rule-breaking prisoners by adding extra days to their sentence.

The doubling of assaults on staff, other prisoners and drug offences as a result of the new rules.

Prisoners being locked away in their cells all day because so many staff are off work with stress.

Managers using 'bully-boy' tactics and telling staff to seek employment elsewhere if they cannot control their wing.

The officer said: "Everybody remembers the riot here some years ago which caused £20million of damage. I feel people deserve to know that it is going to happen again.

"In December, several officers and inmates were injured as a result of inmates being under the influence of alcohol -- some were described as 'legless.' It was frightening to be there."

The Prison Service has firmly denied there is a discipline problem at the jail.

"There was one incident at the prison in December during which four prisoners were disruptive and were restrained," a spokesman said. "They and 12 others were identified as being disruptive to the smooth running of the establishment and were moved to a number of other prisons."

Two wings at Wymott, which houses about 800 prisoners, were rebuilt in the early 1990s following a serious riot.

The officer also claimed there was no deterrent to prisoners who broke rules as they could no longer be sentenced to extra days inside by the governor as new European legislation means only independent adjudicators can hand out these punishments. This, he said, has led to more assaults on staff.

But the Prison Service spokesman said: "Prisoners can have days added on to their sentences as disciplinary measures, along with a range of other options."

He added: "Wymott is in the top 25 per cent of prisons in terms of performance.

"But this has not been achieved at the expense of staff safety, which remains a top priority."