WINCHESTER Prison has come under fire for spending taxpayers' money transporting inmates by cab to a hospital which is a stone’s throw away.

HM Winchester regularly uses the vehicles to ferry prisoners from the category B jail to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital which is just 150 yards away.

A former prison officer said the issue was caused by a few factors including a lack of vehicles, drivers and budget pressures.

The source said: “The prison has a van which it will use but there is only one of them so taxis are used if you get more than two appointments at the same time.

"And if you take them to somewhere far afield then that leaves us to use taxis.

"It was obvious what the fix was but it never happened. The fix would be to have additional vehicles and recruit additional drivers but that did not happen due to staff budgets elsewhere.

"When we talked about the things we would change that was one of them, it could have been a simple fix, I do hope they change it."

The source described it as a "horrendous" waste of money but added that there was no waiting around by the taxis, which goes against what was reported in the Daily Mirror.

Eastleigh Happy Cabs confirmed to the Chronicle that they regularly take prisoners to the hospital and have been doing so for the past six months.

A staff member said: “We do run a service for them but what they pay us that’s between us and them. It is as and when if they have not got the staff to cope.”

The Taxpayers' Alliance have criticised the use of taxis and the amount spent on them.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance: Taxpayers have every right to be angry that so much of their money is being spent ferrying prisoners just a few hundred yards.

"It may be out of the question for prisoners to simply be walked over to the hospital but surely if the prison has its own transport then that should be used instead.

"When savings need to be found, prison bosses need to seriously consider whether this is a sensible use of their resources.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Taxis are the most cost-effective and safe way of transporting prisoners across short distances whilst ensuring the public is protected.”

The spokesman added when they are transported they are always handcuffed and accompanied by prison officers, and that this mode of transport is economical compared to vans or purchasing cars and reduces potential overhead costs which can impact staff time.

He also said this form of transport can be called at short notice and respond quickly to urgent requirements.