Overcrowding is a problem at Swansea prison

Swansea, Usk, and Cardiff prisons are in the top 20 of Wales and England's most crowded institutions, according to the Prison Reform Trust (PRT).

The research revealed there are now 73,091 prisoners in Wales and England - 58 more than the last record set in October 2002.

Meanwhile, the Home Office predicts the prison population in Wales and England could reach 110,000 within the next six years.

Wales and England already have the highest rate of imprisonment in the European Union, with 139 prisoners per 100,000 people.

But, despite a rise of more than 10,000 prisoners in the six years since Labour came to power in May 1997, the government remains committed to jailing offenders.

"The government will continue to provide the places necessary to accommodate those sentenced by the courts," said a prison service spokesman.

There are now record numbers of prisoners in the UK

"Whatever the population pressures, the government is uncompromising in its response to serious and dangerous offenders.

"Where there is a need to protect the public, this will take place in a secure environment," he said.

Current funding plans would finance up to 77,200 jail places by March 2006, added the spokesman.

Last week, the PRT called for urgent action to cut the record number of women in English and Welsh jails.

According to the PRT, the number of women in jail was 4,477, beating the previous highest total by 32.

The trust said almost half of the 17 female prisons were overcrowded, adding that few women offenders were a "real risk" to the public.