About 200 prisoners have been moved from Lincoln Prison after inmates managed to take over the jail during a riot.

Prisoners overpowered a guard and smashed their way into various parts of the jail before setting part of it alight on Tuesday.

The inmates had to be moved because the building was so badly damaged, a Home Office spokesperson said.

She denied a claim that high security prisoners had been moved to open prisons due to a lack of spaces.

Martin Narey said he was proud of staff

About 350 prisoners still remain at HMP Lincoln.

During the riot, a total of 27 prisoners needed hospital treatment after they took drugs from the pharmacy.

It took prison officers and police about eight hours to take back control of the jail.

The director-general of the Prison Service Martin Narey said he was very proud of prison staff that dealt with the trouble.

Severe overcrowding

Guards were drafted in from 17 other prisons to help tackle the situation which began on A wing on Tuesday night.

However, Mr Narey dismissed allegations that severe overcrowding triggered the disturbance.

At the height of the emergency about 300 police from Lincolnshire, Humberside and Cambridgeshire were involved in securing the perimeter of the jail.

Speaking outside the prison, Mr Narey said inmates had managed to break their way into almost every part of the prison.

Staff retreat

He said: "At one point, the prisoners did have access to most parts of the prison and my staff retreated.

"As soon as I had enough staff here to go back into the prison we moved in.

"We gained control. I'm very proud of the staff."

Firefighters were called to the jail to tackle flames which spread through the laundry and other parts of the site.