PRISON authorities have defended plans to refurbish visitor areas at a high-security prison following claims that it will mean sex offenders and children being placed in the same room.

Two separate areas at Frankland Prison, in Durham City, are being knocked through as part of a refurbishment creating an enlarged area which the Prison Service says will vastly improve conditions for both prisoners and visitors.

But a statement sent to The Northern Echo, purporting to represent the families of inmates, claimed this would mean it would be used by previously separated prisoners such as paedophiles and rapists, who would then be in the same room as child visitors.

The statement said money was also being “wasted” on the refurbishment, which was not needed.

It is understood the changes were planned for later this month, but are now not likely to happen until July.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “The safety of prisoners and visitors is of paramount importance.

“It is absolutely wrong to suggest that anyone will be at risk due to the refurbishment of the prison visiting rooms at HMP Frankland.

“The expected high levels of security will remain in place and, for example, seating arrangements will be carefully planned.

“Refurbishing the current prison visiting rooms will vastly improve conditions for both prisoners and visitors.”

The spokesman added that the new visitor area would be freshly painted and would be “lighter” with more windows.

Helen Attewell, chief executive of the charity Nepacs, which provides volunteers to work in visitor areas at Frankland and other prisons in the region, said: “We have not heard of specific concerns about this and we are not anticipating any problems.”

In February, Nepacs opened a youth room at Frankland where children can play while supervised prior to visiting relatives, or where they can remain should their parents wish to speak alone.

Colin Moses, national chairman of the Prison Officers Association, and a former prisoner officer at nearby Low Newton Prison, in Durham City, said any changes to the main visitor area would be risk assessed.

He said: “This will be a decision taken by the prison governor as to how they will manage a visits area.

“It may just be that they need a larger visits area as the size of the prison increases, but it would have been risk assessed.”