1976 Hull prison riot ends

The last protesting imates at Hull’s top-security prison have finally surrendered after 67 hours on the rampage.

The protest ended peacefully after negotiations with a senior home office official.

It was still uncertain at 0900 BST whether the prisoners had agreed to give themselves up. But an hour later they began leaving the prison in small groups.

The last few finally left the roof – where many of them have been barricaded since the trouble began – at 1400 BST. The 140 prisoners who were not involved in the disturbance had already been evacuated.

About 100 prisoners began rioting three days ago in a protest against alleged brutality by staff.

After destroying their cells and smashing doors and furniture they climbed onto the roof and began hurling slates at passers-by.

Debris was also thrown at firemen called to attend the first of a series of fires that was started during the protest.

It is estimated that the cost of repairing the damage will run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Officials say it is so bad there is some doubt over whether the establishment will be rebuilt.

“At least two thirds of the prison has been wrecked completely,” reported a prison officer. “It will take days if not weeks to clear up the mess,” he said.

Hull was regarded as one of the UK’s more peaceful prisons, but it does hold a number of high security “category A” prisoners, including members of the IRA.

A spokesman for the Howard League for Penal Reform has asked the government to hold a full and independent inquiry.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

The inquiry into the disturbance found it to be the most serious incident “involving loss of control” since the Dartmoor prison mutiny in 1932.

Hull prison was put out of use for a year and the cost of repairing the damage was estimated to be £3-4 million pounds.

A single cause for the protest was not identified by the report, but instead blamed a culmination of events combined with a volatile mix of prisoners.