The Ministry of Justice's decision to sign a 10-year lease on HMP Dartmoor, despite known high levels of the radioactive gas radon, is expected to cost UK taxpayers more than £100 million, according to a report from the public accounts committee. The committee described the 2022 deal as a 'catastrophic' failure, signed 'in a blind panic' by senior civil servants desperate to secure prison places.
The category C prison, which housed many sex offenders, was closed in 2024 after radon levels up to ten times the recommended limit were detected in some areas. The government admitted it knew of 'elevated readings' as early as 2020, but staff had been monitoring levels since 2010. The Health Security Agency says radon causes about 1,100 lung cancer deaths annually in the UK.
Under the lease terms, the Ministry cannot terminate until at least December 2033, paying around £4 million per year for an unusable prison, plus an estimated £68 million in fabric improvements over the period. The committee's chair, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, called the handling 'an absolute disgrace, from top to bottom', rejecting the excuse that the deal was driven by the need for prison places.
More than 500 former inmates and prison officers are bringing legal claims against the government, alleging their health was put at risk. The Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation into radon levels at the prison in 2023, which is ongoing. The Duchy of Cornwall, which provides income for Prince William, owns the prison and leases it to the Ministry.
The Prison Officers Association's national chair, Mark Fairhurst, said it was 'abhorrent' that high-ranking decision makers faced no consequences. The Ministry's permanent secretary, Jo Farrar, defended the 2022 decision, citing the risk of running out of prison places at the time. A Ministry spokesperson said the government inherited a prison system 'on the brink of collapse'.
