A GROUP opposed to HMP Hindley being turned into a mega prison protested against the proposals at a council planning committee meeting.

The Pies Not Prisons group expressed their concerns outside Wigan Town Hall on Tuesday about the Government's plan to build a new prison at the site to accommodate more than twice as many inmates, from 600 to 1,300.

They include the visual impact of a much bigger prison, the risks and cost of removing asbestos from the area and possible traffic issues, noise pollution and parking problems.

The group believes the £140 million needed to build the prison at the Bickershaw site would be better spent on public services to help reduce the number of people committing crimes and rehabilitate offenders.

Group member Dr David Scott, an Open University researcher, said: “We wanted to send a gentle message to Wigan Council that there is quite a lot of opposition to the building of a mega prison.

“There is no demand for a facility like this in the borough, according to sentencing figures, and it could really damage the area.

“It is very sad when you consider there is an underfunding of welfare services in the Wigan borough that there will be a prison built at a cost of £140 million.

“The NHS is in charge of mental health sources in prisons and that will suck more resources from the community, which will put even more of a strain on the services.

“There is somewhere in the region of eight out of 10 prisoners who have mental health problems, so we need to invest more money into social services to tackle this issue instead of giving it to the justice system.”

A planning application for the new prison is expected to be submitted to the council later this year.

The Pies Not Prisons group believes asbestos is in the prison grounds as it lies close to the old Turner and Newall factory, which was closed down in 1984.

A nearby South Hindley brownfield site is in the process of having asbestos removed before Peel Holdings Ltd can submit a housing application.

Work on the mega prison is not expected to start until 2019 at the earliest.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “We are keeping cells at HMP Hindley in use as part of a programme of forward-planning for the prison estate.

“This is an operational decision to help manage any potential increase in offenders sent to us by the courts.

“We will continue to work closely with the staff affected and the Prison Officers Association.

“We are committed to transforming all prisons into places of safety and reform and still plan to redevelop the prison as part of our national £1.3 billion plans to modernise the estate.”