THE men's section of a jail where ten inmates have killed themselves in two years has been praised for its efforts to tackle the problem of prison suicides.

Inspectors say the section at Durham Prison carries out work to stop inmate suicides "to a high standard".

But the team that staged an unannounced visit to the Victorian-built jail in August says there is "little purposeful activity for prisoners".

Durham serves as both a local prison and a Category-A establishment for men and women.

Ten prisoners have taken their lives in the past two years, including three last year alone in the women's centre - dubbed "She-wing" - which houses the most serious female offenders.

Prison reformers have called for the centre's closure, saying inmates would be better off in a bigger all-female prison.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said: "Durham's men's prison is operating under great pressure. Unusually, it is also running an integrated regime without separating out vulnerable prisoners, including sex offenders.

"This inspection found that, nevertheless, it was a safe prison and the need to ensure the protection of vulnerable prisoners appeared to make staff more alert to the safety of all prisoners.

"Reception, suicide and self-harm, and anti-bullying work were all carried out to a high standard."

Governor Mike Newell said the prison was doing all it could to stop suicides.

"We are not able to deal with it on the basis of waving a magic wand," he said.

"In each of these cases there has been no obvious pattern. It isn't as if all deaths occurred in a short time of arriving at Durham or following something happening."

Gary, 30, a prisoner serving four years for drug offences, said: "In my view the officers are doing a good job; they are doing all the checks.

"There's not much the officers can do if a con decides to end his life. People can hang themselves in a matter of seconds."

A spokeswoman for the Howard League for Penal Reform said prison suicide was a complex problem. "The deaths of two individuals could be a coincidence, not part of a systemic problem," she said.

But she added that local jails tended to suffer overcrowding and were often unable to provide the help or treatment that less serious offenders needed.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "Despite the best efforts of staff, Durham Prison is condemned to house far too many petty offenders and those in need of mental health care rather than imprisonment."