Bedsheets jailbreak is foiled

An attempted break-out by five prisoners from a top-security London jail has been foiled by chance, it emerged today.

A routine search of one inmate's cell at Wandsworth revealed ripped-up sheets hidden in the walls and behind pipework.

In two nearby cells warders found further stashes of material and a mobile camera phone.

It is thought the prisoners had planned to pierce the prison wall or break through window bars, use the linen to get down to ground level then call in outside getaway help via the phone.

Five inmates are now under investigation and subject to disciplinary action, a spokesman for the Prison Service said. It is understood the men had been accused of a "serious criminal offence" and are due in court later this year.

Wandsworth jail, from which Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs escaped in 1965, houses prisoners who have been recently sentenced and those on remand awaiting trial.

The prison, which has more than 1,400 inmates, is said by the Prison Inspectorate to hold 500 more prisoners than it should.

In her most recent report, chief prison inspector Anne Owers said it did not have enough staff to cope.