Locals fear village will be swarmed by ‘drug drones’ after Labour green-lights ‘super-prison’ on residents’ doorstep

Residents in a Lancashire village have warned that their skies will be “swamped by drug drones” after Labour controversially green-lit plans for a new ‘super-prison’ on their doorsteps.

The sprawling facility, which will be built next to the existing HMP Garth and HMP Wymott prisons, had been rejected by Chorley Council in 2021 – but Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has since called in the prison in Ulnes Walton.

Locals had already voiced their uproar a few days ago – but now, fears are rising over contraband-carrying drones above the village – whose population stands at a little over 2,500.

Some have claimed the pair of existing prisons are already struggling with staffing issues and illegal contraband deliveries by drone.

And the new prison population under Rayner’s scheme would see residents outnumbered – further stoking concerns over security and infrastructure.

Local resident Andrea Hallows, 49, told the Mail: “Why they want to build another prison here when they are struggling to run the other two they already have is beyond me. They can’t get enough staff to work there as it is.”

While 47-year-old engineer Mark Stuttard warned of a spate of drug-smuggling incidents.

“One ended up in a police car chase and the suspects crashed their car not too far from here,” he said. “The police arrested them but they could have easily killed someone.”

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“They are always flying drones over the prison to smuggle drugs in. They can fly the drones from a fair distance away, so they think they are safe from getting caught,” he added.

Trevor and Pat Symonds, who previously lived near HMP Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, say the current situation with HMP Garth and HMP Wymott is already worse than their previous experience.

“The area just can’t accommodate a third prison. The roads just can’t cope,” said Pat, a former NHS worker.

While Trevor, 80, said: “You see police vans and fire engines driving down the lane and I can’t imagine they will be going anywhere else but the prison.”

He also raised worries about inmates being prioritised over residents, saying: “If a prisoner needs hospital treatment, they will be treated immediately and don’t have to wait.”

Rayner had overruled local objections and planning inspectors alike to approve the new prison.

In her decision letter, the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government claimed “the harm to the green belt and other harms are clearly outweighed by the benefits.”

But Paul Parker from the Ulnes Walton Action Group ripped into her decision, saying: “I don’t know what the Secretary of State’s understanding is of planning or road safety matters – she has obviously got advisers – but she can then completely go against the independent view of the planning inspector!”

He has suggested that alternative locations including HMP Kirkham and Stakehill Industrial Estate near Oldham would be more suitable.