PRISONERS at Full Sutton Jail are organising "fight clubs" to settle debts between inmates, a high-level report claimed today.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers - reporting after an unannounced visit to the jail near Stamford Bridge - said security searches of prisoners' cells had revealed evidence of organised brawling, usually to pay off debts

A spokeswoman for Ms Owers said there was evidence some prisoners were being pressurised by other inmates into fights "presumably with betting on participants".

The claims mirror the action in the Brad Pitt movie Fight Club, in which men gather together to stage gladiatorial bare-knuckle battles.

Today's report also said: "We found documented evidence that gangs who had been operating on the streets continued to operate in the prison by intimidating other prisoners and attempting to get information about officers' addresses and shift times."

Ms Owers, calling for safety improvements for both staff and inmates at the 600-inmate prison, also revealed there had been an attempt to take an officer hostage in his cell days before the inspection.

She said: "This had been foiled because the officer had taken the precaution of ensuring that the cell door could not be shut, and a colleague had seen the incident and had promptly summoned help."

She said while progress had been achieved in many areas at Full Sutton, she was concerned by an apparent increase in violence and bullying, and staff were hampered by restricted CCTV coverage and inadequate anti-bullying procedures.

But a Prison Service spokeswoman said no proof had ever been found that a fight club existed in the prison.

She said: "There are occasional confrontations between prisoners, but these are managed effectively by the prison. The source of this claim is believed to stem from one intelligence report to the prison some time ago.

"The number of prisoners in custody who are known members of high-profile gangs has increased significantly over recent years, and all establishments within the high security estate now house significant numbers of these individuals."

Phil Wheatley, Director General of the Prison Service, said Full Sutton housed some of the country's most dangerous and violent offenders. "But it has a good reputation for successfully reintegrating the most challenging individuals from segregation units into the main wing population."

He accepted the prison's anti-bullying policy was in need of review, and this would take place in the next three months.

Steve Cox, a spokesman for the Prison Officers Association, said the morale of staff at the jail was "very good", especially compared to the early 1990s, when it was a "God-awful place to work".

Updated: 11:27 Wednesday, December 07, 2005