PEOPLE have been spotted leaving an open prison near Wotton - amid the latest round of early releases by the Government.

Men - some holding bags - were pictured outside HMP Leyhill category D jail in South Gloucestershire on Tuesday, October 22. 

Around 1,100 inmates are due to be freed in a second wave of early releases under the Government’s policy to free up prison space.

Offenders serving more than five years will be released on licence after spending 40 per cent of their time locked up.

The site near Falfield is a category D open prison with lower security where eligible prisoners can spend most of the day away from the prison on licence.

It comes as plans were submitted in the summer to expand HMP Leyhill.

According to the application, if approved and after construction is finished, the prison would be able to take on an additional 240 inmates. 

Proposals include building two new housing blocks, a healthcare unit, a workshop, boiler house, offender management unit and a staff changing facility.

The site currently has around 475 prisoners and would bring its total to 715.

(Image: SWNS) (Image: SWNS)

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister says he “shares the public’s anger” at images of prisoners being released early.

Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesperson said: “The PM shares the public’s anger at these scenes and thinks it is shocking that any government should ever inherit the crisis that this government has when it comes to our prisons.

“But just to be clear, there was no choice not to act. If we had not acted, we would have faced a complete paralysis of the system.”

The spokesperson said this marks the “second and final” release of prisoners under the Government’s scheme.

Asked if there could be another scheme for future early releases, they said the focus would move to reforms to sentencing and building prisons to create more spaces.