All the locks have had to be changed at four prisons after guards lost the keys, ministers have admitted.
The taxpayer picked up the £300,000 bill to prevent mass escapes in the last three years.
It can also be revealed that since the coalition was formed prison officers have lost almost 140 sets of keys, used to unlock everything from prison gates to handcuffs used to restrain the most dangerous criminals.
The taxpayer picked up the £300,000 bill to prevent mass escapes in the last three years.
It can also be revealed that since the coalition was formed prison officers have lost almost 140 sets of keys, used to unlock everything from prison gates to handcuffs used to restrain the most dangerous criminals.
Blunder: The taxpayer paid out £79,525 to change the locks at the category B Swaleside jail on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent
