The government has announced £35 million of funding to stop drones smuggling contraband into prisons.

Up to 13,000 prison cell windows at 17 high-risk prisons will be fitted with heavy-duty steel grilles to stop drones smuggling drugs, weapons and mobile phones into jails.

Some of the grilles will be manufactured by prisoners, in a bid to cut costs and teach them skills for the job market.

Drone sightings around prisons increased by 770 per cent between 2019 and 2023.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, said: "Drone smuggling fuels violence, debt and disorder in our prisons. It wrecks rehabilitation and puts lives at risk.

"This new investment will further bolster prison defences against drones, building on our work with police to catch and prosecute the criminal gangs responsible. 

"To the criminal gangs using drones to target our prisons, my message is clear: we are shutting down your routes, disrupting your operations and bringing offenders to justice."

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Countering the Threat from Drones in Prisons, Steff Sharp said: "We welcome this investment as it aligns with our continued pursuit of those using drones to smuggle weapons, drugs, phones and other contraband into prisons. These items fuel organised crime, impact local communities and increase the risk of violence towards staff and inmates within prison walls.

"Counter drone activity is complex which is why we are committed to working closely with HMPPS and other partners to make sure this criminality is prevented, intercepted and offenders brought to justice."