A DRUG problem has been identified at Risley Prison, with one quarter of mandatory tests proving positive, according to an official report.

Figures contained within the Prison Reform Trust's annual report have highlighted Risley as the fourth worst prison in the country for failed random drug tests.

Derek Harrison, deputy governor at Risley, admitted that prison bosses were disappointed with the level of drug-taking in the jail, and said: "We are actively pursuing a range of strategies as part of our broader drug strategy. We aim to reduce the supply of illicit drugs and reduce the demand of prisoners."

Cannabis is the most common drug found in the prison, although evidence of more serious Class A drugs has been identified. Prison officers regularly intercept packages of drugs that are thrown over the perimeter fence.

Since the start of April, prison bosses say that the number of positive mandatory tests has dropped by almost 10 per cent. Sixty prisoners are completing an accredited drugs programme and there are 550 inmates signed up for voluntary testing.

The report singled out Warrington's other prison, Thorn Cross Young Offenders' Institution, for providing a high number of hours of 'purposeful activity'.

Last October, the Guardian revealed prison officers' claims that drugs were rife in the prison, with cannabis regularly being smuggled in.

But a prison insider says that a new drugs strategy was implemented at Thorn Cross last January and that the prison is moving towards a zero tolerance stance on drugs.