Karen Whitefield: Seeking answers

Karen Whitefield, Airdrie and Shotts Labour MSP, said she hoped the inquiry following the ending of the stand-off would be open and frank.

She added: "I think we need to get to the bottom of what actually happened. Why did the outbreak occur, was it connected with the power supply cut-off or is that a red herring?

"We also need to ask if the proper procedures were in place and was everything done to keep this disturbance to a minimum."

The prison service said earlier that prisoners had been already out of their cells when the power failed, dismissing claims that the failure had unlocked their cells.

Long-term inmates

Police officers were stationed outside the Lanarkshire prison as a precaution.

Ms Whitefield said she was still hoping to meet with prison authorities to discuss the incident.

Some 600 homes were also temporarily left without power after the storm hit the area, causing problems at two hospitals.

Sited in countryside south of the M8 motorway near the village of Shotts, the prison houses some 500 long-term prisoners.

It was purpose-built in 1978 and caters for men serving sentences of four years or more who are transferred from other establishments and need to be kept in secure conditions.

However, it has had its share of problems in the past. On one occasion in the early 1990s a group of inmates trashed their cells while on another a prison officer was held hostage.