FOUR prisoners staged a roof top protest at Erlestoke on one of the hottest days of the year.

A crack national team along with police and the fire service were sent to the prison near Devizes last Tuesday at about 4pm after the inmates managed to climb on the roof and refused to come down for about six hours.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “Four prisoners accessed the roof for a few hours before officers helped them down safely. There were no injuries.

“The rest of the prison continued to operate safely during this time. National resources were deployed to ensure the prisoners’ safety.”

It is understood that the prisoners were unhappy at being kept inside for longer because of coronavirus restrictions.