New prison HMP Millsike opens with space for 1,500 inmates

A prison the size of 39 football pitches has opened in East Yorkshire.

HMP Millsike has been built on land next to HMP Full Sutton and will house almost 1,500 category C inmates.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it would create 600 jobs and includes workshops and training facilities aimed at getting offenders into work on release.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who opened the prison, said it “set the standard for the jails of the future”.

The government wants to create 14,000 additional prison places by 2031.

Last year, more than 2,000 inmates were released early as part of an emergency plan to ease overcrowding in the system.

Millsike incorporates security technology aimed at combating issues such as drones being used to fly in drugs, the MoJ said.

The measures include reinforced barless windows to deter drone activity, hundreds of CCTV cameras and X-ray body scanners.

Mahmood said this meant cutting crime was “built into its very fabric”.

The prison will be operated by the private firm Mitie Care and Custody.

Russell Trent, Mitie’s managing director, said there would be a focus on rehabilitation.

“Everything from the building design to the technology, education and training opportunities has been engineered to create an environment where people leave ready to integrate and contribute to society,” he added.

The prison has been named after the adjacent Millsike Beck and is the first in the UK to run solely on electricity.

The MoJ said it was expected that the use of solar panels and heat pumps would save £1m a year.