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HMP Wandsworth is suffering its worst year in recent history, a watchdog has warned, as a damning report highlighted “inhumane” conditions and widespread violence at a prison plagued by staff absences.

Nearly half of the officers at the squalid and dangerous prison in Victoria had less than a year’s experience in April, the Independent Prison Oversight Board (IMB) said, warning that this had “seriously undermined the prison’s ability to function effectively”.

And because staff absence rates at Wandsworth rarely fall below 50 percent, most prisoners are forced to spend 22 hours a day in locked cells built in Victorian times for one person, often having to choose between showering and other activities, the annual report warned.

The crisis-hit prison was placed into emergency measures in May by HM Chief Inspector Charlie Taylor amid concerns about security shortcomings and serious problems with overcrowding, drugs, violence and self-harm. This prompted the new government to divert £100m from other prisons to fund “urgent improvements”.

Matthew Andrews, chairman of Wandsworth IMB, warned that “this year for HMP Wandsworth and the men whose treatment we monitor has been as bad as any in our memory and, in many ways, worse”, saying his team of volunteers had been raising the alarm for years to no avail.

The chief inspector’s May report “was highly critical but contained little that surprised us”, Mr Andrews said when the new report was published on Thursday. He added: “Many of the same issues had been raised in previous IMB annual reports and ignored by the Ministry of Justice”.

The misery in Wandsworth was brought to public attention following the alleged escape of prisoner Daniel Abed Khalife in September. He is due to stand trial in October and has pleaded not guilty.

The new report found that a subsequent security audit uncovered “81 points of failure” and resulted in “previously unavailable” funding, enabling “long-awaited” upgrades to CCTV cameras that had been out of service for more than a year.

This included a new system installed in the visitors’ hall in May this year to replace an old system “that had not been functioning for over a year”, which “directly led to an increase in the number of illegal passes detected”.

The security audit was conducted in November, while an internal review completed in December made 39 recommendations, the report said. The government has yet to release those documents or confirm whether disciplinary action has been taken.

While the IMB welcomed the improvements to security at the gate and reception, it warned that it was “possible” that the measures “led to an increase in drone activity, with 261 cases noted during the reporting period”, while such activity had been relatively rare the previous year.

As a result, inspectors previously found that 51 percent of prisoners surveyed said it was easy to obtain illegal drugs, with the smell of cannabis ubiquitous in the prison. The prison governor resigned just days after that report was published.

In its new report, the IMB says the crisis at the Category B prison is due to deteriorating building infrastructure, staffing problems and “inadequate or unhelpful management” by the Prison Service (HMPPS) and a lack of financial support.

The watchdog said prison officers have worked hard to give prisoners full time out of their cells to work, eat, socialise and access services, despite high levels of violence, but the prison is “severely limited in what it can do”.

As a result, prisoners were sometimes denied even the basic necessities of 45 minutes outside their cells to exercise and 45 minutes for housework. Prisoners were often forced to give up other daily activities to wait in line for “filthy” showers that were often infested with mold and rat feces, the report said.

Essentials such as underwear and blankets were also often lacking. In one wing of 122 men, at one point 50 blankets, 25 sheets, 30 towels and no boxers or socks were shared. These items had reportedly become “currency”, with new prisoners forced to “pay” others for kettles and other essentials.

More than 1,200 prisoners shared cells that were designed for single occupancy in 1851 — a total far larger than any other prison in the country, the report said. Cells were cramped, filthy and often had broken or missing windows, furniture and fittings.

Although the number of attacks fell slightly from just over 1,000 the previous year to 960, the level of violence was still far too high, the report warned. Some 900 incidents of disorder were also recorded, including 363 cases of damage to cells, putting further strain on prison capacity.

There were 10 prisoner deaths at Wandsworth last year. Six appeared to be self-inflicted, while four people died apparently from natural causes, the report said. There were almost 1,000 incidents of self-harm involving 302 men.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “The new Government inherited a justice system in crisis and is compelled to take action and get the situation in the prison system under control so we can lock up dangerous criminals, protect the public and make prisons safer for hardworking staff.

“Earlier this month, the new Lord Chancellor announced that the Prison Service is deploying additional specialist staff and will reinvest £100 million over five years into HMP Wandsworth to ensure immediate action is taken to improve conditions.”

Additional reporting by PA