FORMER prisoners will help build the controversial new "mega" prison in Full Sutton east of York, the Government has revealed.

Construction will begin later this year with the Prison Service hoping for it to admit its first inmates in 2025.

The Government wants it to be a zero-carbon prison with the latest smart technology to help inmates learn new skills.

The new prison will be a Category C prison, or training and resettlement prison, housing up to 1,400 sentenced inmates who are not believed to be an escape risk.

Local people have objected strongly to it being sited in the village near Stamford Bridge on environmental, planning and other grounds.

York Press: The new 'mega prison'The new 'mega prison'

The new prison will be built by Keir Construction next to the existing Full Sutton high security prison which houses some of the most dangerous prisoners in the country.

The company's group managing director, Liam Cummins, said: "Delivery of the new prison at Full Sutton represents over a decade of Kier operating as a successful partner to the Ministry of Justice and highlights our ongoing commitment to the New Prisons’ Programme.

"This project will create hundreds of jobs as well as providing opportunities for prisoners on release, and we’re proud to give people the opportunity to work with us to deliver a best-in-class facility built on modern methods of construction and engineering excellence."

Of the hundreds of jobs expected to be created by the prison's construction, the Ministry of Justice said at least 50 will be reserved for ex-offenders so that they can learn new skills which can help them lead law-abiding lives.

Another 600 permanent jobs will be created once the prison is built.

Prisons Minister Stuart Andrew said: "I am delighted work can begin on yet another modern, innovative prison that will skill-up untold numbers of offenders to live a crime-free life while making our streets safer.

"The new prison at Full Sutton will also support hundreds of jobs, in construction and afterwards, representing a major boost to Yorkshire’s economy."

A Government statement described the new prison as "designed from top-to-bottom with the latest smart technology to cut crime and protect the public".

It added: "The jail will include an unprecedented array of workshops and classrooms, so prisoners spend their time behind bars learning new skills to find work on release – factors known to significantly reduce reoffending.

"It will also be the first new prison to operate as zero-carbon in the future, with an all-electric design, solar panels, heat pumps and more efficient lighting systems to reduce energy demand significantly."

It is the third of six new prisons being built to enable another 20,000 inmates to be held behind bars.

Currently England's male prisons are close to full capacity according to the latest Government statistics.