A prison has been become like an “airport” with drugs being brought in by drones through holes burned in cell windows, an inmate has told inspectors.

A watchdog has warned HMP Garth, in Lancashire, which holds serious offenders, is “facing major security issues” and a “breakdown in safety and security”.

Inspectors found prisoners had been using the elements from their kettles to burn holes in their “inadequately protected” Perspex windows to allow the “entry of drones laden with contraband”, while the “smell of cannabis was rife”.

Some 63% of the men held in the category B jail who were surveyed said it was easy to get hold of drugs with one saying: “This is now an airport.”

Inspectors found prisoners were damaging their windows faster than they could be repaired with 13 cells found with holes, including five which were still occupied, on the first day of the visit.

They also said oversight and searching, including accounting for mops and brooms used to collect drugs from drones, was “weak”.

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said: “Garth holds some very serious offenders. Although the governor had a good understanding of the many challenges the prison faced, without better support from the regional team and the prison service it will continue to be a jail of real concern.

“It is imperative that the prison service finds a way to stem the ingress of drones to reduce the supply of drugs into prisons like Garth, so they can begin to reduce violence and get men out of their cells and into a full day’s work and training.

“Staff attendance and capability will need to improve significantly and without substantial investment from the prison service, drugs will continue to flow into this troubled jail.”

In January, 400-metre restricted fly zones were introduced around all closed prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales, while there have been more than 90 drone-related convictions since June 2016.

A 36-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Monday after staff at HMP Liverpool spotted a drone trying to land in the prison courtyard.

The package was found to contain cannabis resin, tobacco, mobile phones notes, drill bits and SIM cards, Merseyside Police said.

At the time of the HMP Garth inspection, the training prison held 816 prisoners mostly serving long or indeterminate sentences.

The rate of assaults had soared by 45% since the last inspection, with many inmates needing protection because of drug-related debt.

Inspectors found some parts of the prison were dilapidated and new arrivals said they were being forced to pay other prisoners to get missing furniture for their cells.

The report also highlights high levels of staff sickness, insufficient training and an unwillingness to challenge prisoner rule-breaking, as well as poor staff morale.

”A prison system in crisis’

It comes weeks after a damning report found category B Winchester prison was so “dilapidated” an inmate was able to remove his own cell door.

Chief executive of the social justice charity Nacro, Campbell Robb, said the issues the latest report highlights are “symptomatic of wider crisis” across the prison system.

“HMP Garth is another example of how without significant reform, we risk perpetuating a vicious cycle of violence and hopelessness within our prisons, undermining both public safety and the potential for rehabilitation in the long-term,” he said.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The new government inherited a prison system in crisis and reports like these demonstrate the need for robust action to get the situation back under control.

“We have zero tolerance towards violence and drugs and our security measures, such as X-ray body scanners and anti-drone no-fly zones, detect and stop drugs from entering our prisons.”