Home / Crime and Justice / Dartmoor Prison Faces Formal Censure Over Radon Risks
Dartmoor Prison Faces Formal Censure Over Radon Risks
13 May
Summary
- Inmates and staff exposed to dangerous radon gas levels.
- Prison service faces formal public censure for safety failures.
- Dartmoor Prison was mothballed in 2024 due to concerns.
HM Prison and Probation Service is set to receive a formal public censure following significant safety failures at Dartmoor Prison. Inmates and staff were exposed to dangerous levels of radon, a radioactive gas known to cause lung cancer.
The Health and Safety Executive confirmed that the prison service failed to properly manage the risk, leaving people breathing radiation above legal limits. Concerns were first raised in February 2023, with follow-up checks confirming elevated radon levels in areas including prisoner accommodation.
Monitoring in March 2020 revealed extreme readings, with the prison kitchen measuring 2,988 bq/m3. Following repeated warnings, the crumbling Victorian prison was mothballed in 2024. Legal action has been launched by several individuals affected by the radon exposure.
