A CHAPEL lay in ruins last night after prison officers used stun grenades to quell a riot at a North-East young offenders institution.

Inmates caused havoc for more than seven hours before 18 stun grenades - similar to those used by the SAS to end terrorist hijackings - were hurled into the chapel at Deerbolt Young Offenders Institution, at Barnard Castle, County Durham.

The use of the grenades came to light as more details emerged of the weekend disturbance.

The Reverend Daniel Hartley, who was conducting a service when the riot broke out, needed treatment for a hand injury after he was hit by a chair wielded by an inmate.

Mr Hartley, who was a curate in Richmond, North Yorkshire, before becoming a prison chaplain in 2002, got out quickly along with officers and other inmates when the trouble started.

One of the officers received a cut to the ear.

All six inmates were moved to other prisons soon after the incident ended on Sunday night. Three went to Cheltenham and three to Norfolk.

The Northern Echo understands that the six were from the Manchester area.

While no cause has been given for the riot, it is thought that many inmates from the North-West were upset at being locked up so far from their homes.

One officer said some of the inmates had protested that they did not get on well with those from the North-East.

Twenty-nine prisoners - about double the usual number - turned up for the service, leading officials to believe the riot was planned. Only a handful of staff were present to control them.

The stun grenades were used by a "Tornado Team" of prison officers sent from Doncaster, where they train to deal with riots and other incidents.

One officer said yesterday: "These grenades cause a terrific bang and blinding flash, which terrifies anyone standing near them and completely disorientates them for a while. The specialist team threw them through some of the chapel's broken windows, then raced in and the six culprits were brought out rapidly."

The chapel was built after Deerbolt was opened as a borstal 30 years ago, on the site of an old army camp. It became a showpiece for the institution and was admired by nearby residents invited in for carol services and other religious events.

A member of the Deerbolt staff said: "It is totally wrecked, with furniture smashed, windows broken and walls damaged."

A report by the Deerbolt Independent Monitoring Board, which is to be published next month, will draw attention to the policy of housing inmates so far from their homes.

Board member David Ewart said: "You get tension between prisoners from different regions and the distance from their homes is a significant factor.

"The six prisoners appear to have given no significant reason for this protest, but interestingly all six came from Manchester.

"In the next report, one of the recommendations we will be making is that we should take note of the fact that many prisoners are very unhappy at being here, rather than their home area like Manchester, because it's so far away."

A meeting is being held next week to look at how the operation was handled.

Mr Ewart's initial judgement was that the operation was a success. He said: "My judgement was that it was handled very professionally. The situation was brought under control very quickly and very efficiently.