BOSSES at a women's prison in the North-East are celebrating a favourable inspection report in a year when prison suicides nationally have reached unprecedented levels.

The unannounced visit by Government inspectors was a follow-up to an official inspection that took place two years ago at Low Newton Prison and Young Offenders' Institution, on the outskirts of Durham.

The initial report hailed the prison, which is in the UK's 12 top-rated male or female prisons, as one of the "few success stories in local prisons".

The latest report was published days after the eighth suspected suicide at nearby Durham Prison in two years, five of which have been on the high security women's wing.

Wendy Booth, 35, was found hanged in her cell at Durham Prison on Wednesday.

The prison inspectors focused on progress Low Newton has made in self-harm and suicide prevention, in light of the national increase.

The report stated: "They the inspectors specifically commended the quality of staff-prisoner relationships. This is a good platform on which to build; but additional safeguards are necessary to ensure that the safe environment is sustained.

"These include regular use of available information about patterns of self-harm and the development of an anti-bullying strategy.

"There have been no recent suicides at Low Newton, but there has been at least one serious case of self-harm and therefore no room for complacency, particularly as numbers rise."

Campaign groups blame the increasing prison population on rising suicide rates. Low Newton has capacity for 380 inmates, but a population of only 290.