A PRISON in Pucklechurch has been named the most dangerous in the country.

Ashfield Young Offenders’ Institute was the scene of more than 700 attacks during 2008, putting the prison ahead of high-security jails such as Dartmoor and Belmarsh in terms of safety.

The figures, released by the National Offender Management Service, show there were 608 attacks by inmates on fellow prisoners last year and 126 assaults on prison officers.

It means Ashfield tops the list of all Britain’s 142 jails for attacks.

A spokesman for security firm Serco, which runs the prison, said many of the incidents included in the figures were very minor but had been recorded because of a different ‘reporting regime’ at Ashfield than at most other prisons.

He said inmates spent more time out of their cells taking part in educational activities and exercise, which meant there was an increase in the risk of attacks.

The number of attacks at other jails in the region include four on other prisoners at Leyhill Open Prison and 10 at Eastwood Park women’s prison.

Ashfield became the country’s first and only privately-run young offenders’ institution, managed by Serco, when it opened on the former Pucklechurch Prison site in 1999.

It holds up to 400 male prisoners, aged between 15 and 18. In 2002, the institution was the subject of a scathing report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Dame Anne Owers, following an attack on an officer.

In another report out earlier this month, Dame Anne said improvements were continuing to be made at the institution but she noted the high number of assaults.

She said: "Though relationships between staff and young people remained generally good, the high level of assaults and use of force bore witness to the difficulty of managing this volatile population safely in large establishments and units.

"Nevertheless, this report shows that Ashfield had been able to sustain and continue the progress it has made over the last six years."