Two prison guards in hospital after being exposed to unknown substance
Staff responded to an incident at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian on Thursday
Two prison guards have been taken to hospital after they were apparently exposed to an unknown substance at a Scottish jail.
Staff responded to an incident at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian on Thursday where two prisoners appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance, the prison said.
The prison was locked down and members of the responding team developed symptoms which required medical attention, with two attending hospital for treatment.
Sodexo, which manages the prison on behalf of the Scottish Prison Service, said inquiries into the incident are ongoing.
A spokesperson said: "We can confirm that on 1 June, some of our staff responded to an incident where two prisoners appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance.
"As a result, some members of the responding team subsequently developed symptoms which required medical attention, with two colleagues attending hospital for precautionary assessments.
"We are grateful to partners from the emergency services for their support in managing this incident. Inquiries are ongoing and support measures are in place to ensure the continued safety and wellbeing of staff and prisoners."
The union representing prison guards, Community, demanded an investigation into the incident.
Steve Farrell, regional secretary for Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: "This extremely concerning incident is a sobering reminder of the challenges prison officers are facing across the Scottish prison estate.
"No one should live with the constant threat or fear that they might be assaulted, or their lives put at risk while at work. Yet our members are all too often faced with that reality and are being subjected to threats and abuse from prisoners who have access to and are using these drugs.
"We have written to the Scottish Government expressing our concerns around the significant misuse of illicit drugs in the Scottish prison estate and have urged them to develop an action plan to stop psychoactive substances and other contraband items entering our prisons.
"We will be demanding an investigation into the incident and need to see urgent action to prevent the poisoning of prison staff at work that puts our members' lives at risk."