New X-ray body scanners are being set up in a Kent prison as part of a crackdown on weapons and drug smuggling.

HMP Elmley in Eastchurch, on Sheppey, is one of only 16 jails in England and Wales to receive the technology due to the large number of remand prisoners it has passing through it each day.

The jail is also considered one of the country's "most challenging prisons".

The scanners, which have been specifically developed for use in prisons, will create instant body images to reveal if inmates are hiding drugs, mobiles, or weapons.

Installation will begin this spring with the technology expected to be up and running by the summer.

Prisons and probation minister, Lucy Frazer, said: "New technology is a vital part of our efforts to stop those determined to wreak havoc in our jails.

"These scanners will help to stem the flow of contraband into jails and allow officers to focus on rehabilitation.

"We're investing £2.75 billion to transform our prisons, creating 10,000 additional modern places and stepping up security to cut crime and better protect the public."

The technology is set to be introduced in the Island's other jails nationwide later this year - costing the Ministry of Justice £28 million.

Prisons group director for Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Susan Howard, said: "I am delighted HMP Elmley will receive this critical investment.

"This state-of-the-art technology will be vital to improving safety for staff and prisoners."

The equipment will be paid for with £100m specifically put aside to bolster security by paying for metal detectors, phone-blocking systems and a forensics unit used to analyse phones seized in prisons.

£2.5bn will pay for 10,000 more prison places and £156m will go towards "tackling pressing maintenance issues".

In one of the most recent smuggling cases, a mum was earlier jailed for trying to sneak drugs and mobile phones into HMP Elmley for her boyfriend.

Local MP Gordon Henderson earlier called for tougher sentences for people caught smuggling drugs into prisons after an officer at HMP Elmley suffered "horrendous facial injuries" in an attack.

Other Sheppey prisons have also had issues with smuggling.

KentOnline reported last year how a jailbird went on the run after trying to smuggle booze and tobacco into HMP Standford Hill.

Read more: All the latest news from the Isle of Sheppey

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