DELAYS in major building work, pressure from the rising population and the lack of secure mental health beds have been highlighted in a report about Winchester prison.

However, positive aspects such as the new 34-bed detoxification unit and the dedication by staff were also mentioned in the prison's Independent Monitoring Board's annual report.

The IMB report was particularly concerned that work due to start on C wing in July has been postponed until January 2007.

It said: "C wing is in desperate need of refurbishment and structural repair. This work has now been scheduled for early in 2007. The Board hopes that this is a firm date and will not be changed again as this wing is in such poor condition that it will soon become unsuitable for human habitation."

The IMB was also concerned at the number of mental health patients being in prison because there are too few secure mental health beds.

The prison has a 23-bed healthcare unit where the majority of the beds are occupied by men with mental health problems.

"The Care and Supervision Unit where some of the most difficult cases are sometimes housed is an unsuitable place for anyone long-term and this Board is concerned that men have spent up to 248 days there because there is nowhere more suitable could be found," the report stated.

Pressure from the rising prison population was also being felt in several areas, it said, with lifers and prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection spending long periods at Winchester waiting for a space at a more appropriate prison.

It was not all doom and gloom though.

Staff were praised for putting in long hours of overtime to cover unexpected problems and the dedication of those who work in the Care and Supervision Unit got a special mention.

HMP Winchester was also praised for having an unblemished record as far as releasing foreign nationals into the community was concerned, and the IMB report acknowledged the new detoxification unit had greatly improved the provision with drug-related needs.

There was also praise for equipping offenders with marketable skills.

Governor, Andy Lattimore, said: "I am pleased to note that the IMB report's positive comments concerning progress during the past year in equipping offenders with marketable skills such as bricklaying, the success of our drug programmes, our pro-active approach to race relations and the good work done by our security department.

"I understand and accept the Board's concerns. Regarding the standard of some of our accommodation, the re-building of C wing, regrettably delayed, will bring our accommodation for remand prisoners up to 21st century standards.

"Care of metally ill prisoners is vitally important to our work and I am pleased that Winchester is now to be part of a pilot scheme intended to speed up the transfer of the acutely ill to secure mental health hospital facilities."