Two inmates stage rooftop protest at HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale

Buckley Hall Prison

Two inmates are staging a protest on the roof of a prison in Greater Manchester.

The prisoners have been on the roof of HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale, since 6.30pm (Monday 20 July), the Ministry of Justice said. 

Buckley Hall in Rochdale is home to male category C prisoners and is run by Public Sector Prisons.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "Negotiators are at the prison, and there is no wider disruption".

Since its opening in 1995 as the fourth contracted out prison in the UK, HMP Buckley Hall has undergone many innovations and changes.

The original operator was Group 4 Prison Services and they held the contract for five years before failing to secure the contract following a re-tendering process.

In 2000 HMP Buckley Hall came into public sector management under a new Service Level Agreement.

In 2003 the prison re-roled and became a female prison and then due to the rising number of male prisoners in the estate and the decrease in female prisoners it re-roled back to a Male Cat C training Prison in 2005.

From 2009 to 2011 HMP Buckely Hall underwent another tendering process and in March 2011 the contract was again awarded to the Public Sector Prisons. 

The establishment has implemented a ‘working in prison’ model so all prisoners except those over retirement age are expected to take part in either work or education full time.

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UPDATE 21 July 2015

The inmates came down voluntarily just after midnight.