Prison reformers have called for the closure of a notorious women's wing after another death at a prison with one of Britain's worst suicide records.

Wendy Booth, 35, became the eighth suspected suicide at Durham Prison in two years.

Yesterday, Durham governor Mike Newell defended his regime, as the Howard League for Penal Reform demanded the closure of the jail's Women's Centre, dubbed "She Wing".

Booth, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of a friend, was found hanged in her single cell on Wednesday night.

A spokesman for Durham Police said she was cut down and unsuccessful attempts were made to resuscitate her. She was confirmed dead by a doctor.

Booth, of Harehills, Leeds, gave evidence at the inquest into the death of another prisoner in the women's centre earlier this year.

Mr Newell said he could not speculate on whether the death had affected Booth's state of mind. He could not confirm whether she was on suicide watch.

He said: "We try to support constantly any individuals who have crises.

"Within Durham, we have 100 women who are from a group of people with some of the most serious problems in the prison service.

"We have support staff working daily with individual people to help them through the fact that they are in custody for a very long time.

"There is no magical answer - if there was one, we would all be doing it.

"We must keep doing things we know are right, decent, proper and human but, unfortunately, that doesn't always stop people taking their own lives.

"With Wendy's death, as in every case like this, there is a grieving family and our thoughts are with them."

Francis Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, demanded the closure of the Women's Centre.

Of the eight deaths in the past two years, five have been from the women's centre.

Diane Schooling and Beverley Fowler, 32, died last year. So far this year, Booth, Jayne Buck, 28, and Sue Stevens, 48, have died in their cells.

Ms Crook said: "After such a catalogue of deaths, they must now move the women out of there. We have never believed such a small enclosed unit is an appropriate place to hold women prisoners.

"Bigger women's prisons are able to offer more facilities and more work opportunities, which is so important.

"Durham is small and there is an over-concentration on security. These women are unlikely to escape, they are not members of gangs or major criminal networks.

"They require a better level of support - they have not been sent there to die."

Booth was jailed in 2001 and had been unsuccessful in her appeal against conviction.