Inspectors referenced a 'concerning decline' and said organised crime gangs and the supply of drugs into the crumbling Victorian jail were 'clearly undermining every aspect of prison life.
In a catalogue of disturbing findings, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said HMP Manchester has the highest rate of serious assaults of any prison in the country.
Strangeways, he added, was 'fundamentally not safe' - both for prisoners and staff working there.
A 'chronic' rat infestation was found and despite the high levels of violence, the prison's CCTV system was said to be 'failing! "During our inspection, we observed rat droppings, but these were not cleaned up even after we told staff about them," said an interim report.
Prisoners were found to be ripping up foam from mattresses and pillows to stuff into cracked cell windows to keep out the cold.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was criticised for taking too long to replace damaged netting over exercise areas targeted by drones dropping drugs and contraband over the walls. The report said the prison was 'plagued' by drones.
"Further fuelling the demand for drugs, men spent far too long locked in their cells with nothing to do," it added. "Although not overcrowded, leaders at every level had allowed living become squalid." conditions to HM Inspectorate of Prisons assessed the prison between September 17 and October 3, three years after its last inspection. As a result, HMP Manchester is now the eighth prison to be issued with an 'Urgent Notification' since November, 2022. It requires the government to develop a response and to develop a response action plan within 28 days.
A debrief from the published, but the inspection report won't be revealed in full until the new year.
An 'Urgent Notification' is a the Chief step Inspector takes when he believes concerns cannot wait that long to be acted on.
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