SENIOR managers had to make sandwiches and serve meals to prisoners yesterday after a walk-out by prison officers.

At each of the region's jails a skeleton staff, often consisting of prison governors, middle management officers and non-union members had to carry out the duties of regular prison officers.

Because there were far fewer staff on duty, inmates were not permitted to carry out any work or use recreational facilities, such as libraries and gyms and as a result, spent most of the day in their cells.

Prisoners continued to receive meals and medical treatment.

All visits by relatives were cancelled.

At Durham Prison, about 150 male and female officers were lobbying in the street outside the jail in the heart of the city.

That left only 30 non-union staff, including prison governor Alan Tallentire, managing 945 inmates.

Prison Officers Association (POA) Durham branch secretary Ian Blades said those still working were making sandwiches and delivering meals at cell doors.

He said: ''I would congratulate all POA members for their support in this day of action.

''There is about 95 per cent of members out on strike and it is their individual choice."

Further south, more than 100 POA staff were on strike at Full Sutton maximum security prison, near York, which houses nearly 600 prisoners.

The POA was unhappy at what it said was a below-inflation pay award, to be awarded in two stages by the Treasury, against the advice of the Prison Service pay review body.

Jim O'Neill, chairman of the Full Sutton POA branch, said: "We don't want to be millionaires. I want to be able to take my family on holiday and treat them like I did last year, but I can't do that if they keep taking pay out of my pocket."

As well as prison officers, other staff, such as drug and education workers were told to stay away from the region's jails.

Support staff turning up for work received a hostile reception from picket lines staffed by prison officers.

A member of staff at Deerbolt Young Offenders Institution, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, said: "Lots of the workers have been told that they don't have to come in, but those that do come in are getting booed by the picket line outside the prison."

Ros Murray, who helps run the visitors centre at Low Newton Prison, near Durham, said a planned mother/child visitors day had to be cancelled because of the strike.

Activities were still arranged for children who did turn up.

Ms Murray said: "The prison have been very apologetic, saying it is not their fault, but have really put themselves out to help.

"This has never happened before. I don't think there has been a strike for years and years."

Maggie Cherry, from the visitors centre at Durham Prison, said some people had travelled from Liverpool and Sheffield to see relatives, only to be disappointed.

She said: "We have kept the centre open and tried to be hospitable to the visitors that do arrive and explain the situation to them. People that were due to have visits, they will still be allowed that visit on another day, but it will be a matter of finding space for them now."