THE prison where men remanded or sentenced by York courts spend their first night behind bars has better safety procedures than four years ago, the chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick has declared.

But he said HMP Hull has to make more improvements, particularly in reducing over-crowding, the condition of the buildings and the way staff treat prisoners.

Mr Hardwick was publishing the report of an unannounced short visit by seven inspectors in February.

Usually, men aged 18 or over remanded or sentenced to custody by York Magistrates Court or York Crown Court are initially sent to HMP Hull.

Michael Spurr, chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service which oversees prisons, said: “Solid progress is being made at Hull especially around safety, violence reduction, education and resettlement. I am confident that the Governor and staff will continue to build on these improvements and address the issues raised in the report.”