Prisoners have been given £5 free credit a week to "phone home" during the coronavirus lockdown.

The phone calls are just some of the measures introduced at Elmley jail at Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey, according to a new report.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke also found most prisoners were supportive of other “extreme” restrictions imposed to keep them safe.

All visits have been banned and inmates are only allowed 30 minutes a day to exercise or take a shower.

The report, published today also found Elmley had problems getting supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). But it highlighted the prison's dedicated COVID-19 team with key managers.

And staff who spoke different languages had ensured prisoners who did not speak fluent English were kept informed.

Elmley was one of three prisons inspected during a whistle-stop one-day short scrutiny visit. The other two were Wandsworth in south London and Altcourse in Liverpool.

Mr Clarke said: "We were impressed by the way prison managers, staff and prisoners had adapted to the challenges presented by the current crisis. We were also struck by the support that staff had so far received from prisoners who understood the reasons for the extreme restrictions to which they were subject."

Elmley had more than 100 inmates still doing essential cleaning work and had created an activities team to provide packs and workbooks on the wings. All three prisons had in-cell phones.

The survey said: "This did not compensate fully for the lack of visits but they were much appreciated by prisoners. Prisoners also valued the additional £5 phone credit each week and access to additional free letters."

It said all prisons had been slow to implement video-calling to allow prisoners to keep in touch with their families and friends which was a "significant missed opportunity."

All prisons had slightly reduced populations but were still overcrowded. At Elmley, some cells had three occupants. Following a survey of prisoners, more television channels were provided.

In one prison, not named, some shower rooms were too dilapidated to be cleaned to a safe standard and on one wing where the hot water supply could not cope with the current level of demand, gym staff took groups to use the showers in the gymnasium. Soap was not always available to all prisoners in their cells.

Only one man across all three prisons had been released under the End of Custody Release Scheme.

Read more: Latest news from the Isle of Sheppey here.