Prison officer has emergency surgery after attack

A prison officer has undergone emergency surgery, the BBC has been told, after being airlifted to hospital with serious injuries following a stabbing at a high security prison.

Emergency teams were called to HMP Long Lartin in South Littleton, near Evesham, Worcestershire, on Friday just before 08:40 BST.

A member of staff was hurt in the attack and taken to hospital where he was in a stable condition, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson confirmed.

West Mercia Police said they were investigating the stabbing by an inmate, who remained in the jail, and a weapon had been recovered.

A source told the BBC it was "not a prison-made weapon" and that it had "somehow been brought in".

The Category A men's prison houses more than 600 inmates, including men convicted of terrorism offences and more than two-thirds are serving life sentences while the rest have jail terms of 10 years or more.

Earlier this year, the chief inspector of prisons warned about contraband illegally getting to inmates at the prison including gangs using drones to smuggle in weapons, drugs and phones.

"Physical security and counter measures were not robust enough," Charlie Taylor wrote in his report.

"Crews found a man who they treated for serious injuries before he was airlifted to hospital for further treatment," a spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said about Friday's attack.

The 25-year-old officer who was taken to hospital suffered a stab wound in the assault, the police force's spokesperson added.

"The inmate remains within the prison and the investigation is ongoing," they added.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We will not tolerate assaults on hardworking staff and will always push for the strongest punishments against perpetrators."