Police cells will after all take prisoners from overcrowded jails

Police authority chairman John Clarke said the Chief Constable had earlier refused a request to use police cells as an emergency measure.

The Home Office has now offered to pay the police about �350 to house a prisoner overnight.

"Ratepayers will be very pleased with that," said Councillor Clarke.

"But we'll be keeping a close eye on the costings because we want our money back."

'Totally unworkable'

Councillor Clarke pointed out that no police officers would be asked to guard the prisoners.

"I think this is totally unworkable because we're absolutely stretched at times, particularly on busy weekends.

"If we're suddenly landed with another 30 or 40 people that are put into the cells, we haven't got sufficient staff of our own, so it will cause problems."

Councillor Clarke criticised the Home Office for not anticipating that jails would become overcrowded.

"Why wasn't it dealt with? Why doesn't someone in the Home Office wake up and take some action on prisons?"

The use of police cells to house inmates is dubbed "Operation Safeguard".