The Ministry of Justice has forked out more than £117,000 to ex-prisoners of Shepton Mallet jail – even though the prison closed over a decade ago.

Figures uncovered by Legal Expert reveal the MoJ has paid out £117,669 since 2020 to former inmates of His Majesty's Prison Shepton Mallet, which shut in 2013.

A chunk of the payouts – £31,333 – was compensation for injuries caused by other prisoners. The rest covered a mix of incidents, from dodgy bunk beds and asbestos exposure to food contamination and even animal bites.

Despite closing its doors 11 years ago, the historic prison is still racking up bills. In 2020 alone, the MoJ paid out £14,750, rising to nearly £49k the following year. Another £15,750 went out in 2022, followed by £32,212 in 2023 and £3,959 so far this year.

It's all part of a bigger trend. Across the country, prisoner injury claims have cost the MoJ a staggering £9.8 million in the last five years.

The biggest offender? Bunk beds. Since 2022, falls from prison beds have led to £4.5 million in payouts. Slips, trips and falls cost another £2.8 million, while asbestos-related injuries clocked in at £446,000.

Solicitor Lucy Parker from Legal Expert said: "Prisoners, like anyone else, have a right to their safety while incarcerated. When injuries happen due to negligence – whether it's a slip, a fall, or something more serious – they have every right to seek compensation."

Shepton Mallet prison, once the oldest working jail in the country, may be closed – but for the Ministry of Justice, it's clearly still very much on the books.

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