DURHAM Prison's controversial female centre, dubbed She-Wing, is to close in a regrading of the jail.

The once notorious wing, which has housed infamous inmates including Moors murderer Myra Hindley and Rose West, is expected to be wound down by the end of the year.

The prison, which is about 160 years old, will also no longer take category A male inmates under plans announced today.

But the jail's 700-plus workforce were relieved to hear there would be no redundancies in the shake-up.

Both moves were confirmed by the Prison Service last night as part of plans to change Durham to a community prison, catering mainly for short-term offenders, within the newly formed National Offender Management Service.

The decision to axe the women's wing, which caters for a small number of category A inmates among its 124-capacity, has been broadly welcomed.

It comes as a damning report is published, drawn up after an unannounced inspection of the wing in January.

There were five self-inflicted deaths within an 18-month period prior to the inspection, and there has since been a sixth, hastening further calls for its closure.

Ann Owers, chief inspector of prisons, said the wing - a prison within a prison - is "an unsuitable environment to hold women, many of whom are there for long periods".

Although she recognised the work of staff, she said: "Durham is a forbidding and constricted physical environment, with little space for association and activity, and a particularly dispiriting and bleak exercise yard.

"This is scarcely likely to enhance the mental state of women who are feeling depressed and anxious, and who may spend many years in this environment."

The opening of accommodation for women at Bronzefield, in Middlesex, and at Peterborough, plus spare capacity in the rest of the service's high security jails, means there is no longer the need to hold female prisoners or category A male inmates at Durham.

Prison Service deputy director Peter Atherton said: "Developing Durham into a community prison will enable staff to specialise in resettling short-term prisoners in the North-East, and therefore play an important role in helping to establish the National Offender Management Service."

Mr Atherton acknow-ledged staff concerns over the changes, but said there would be no redundancies resulting from the reclassification of the prison.

Governor Mike Newell said the women's centre would be converted for use by the male prison population.