Drunk on Marmite

Drunken jailbirds smashed up a prison unit after secretly brewing booze made with Marmite. The crafty lags used the yeasty sandwich spread to ferment fruit juice they had hoarded.

They got off their heads on the intoxicating hooch — then went on an all-night rampage at the Category-C jail.

Warders in anti-riot gear sealed off the area as furniture and bathroom fittings were wrecked. But bosses decided not to confront the sozzled cons for fear of sparking worse violence.
A team of trained negotiators were sent in instead. They waited until the morning when the dozen-strong gang were so hungover they surrendered meekly.

Last night an inquiry was launched into last Thursday’s mayhem at HMP Edmunds Hill, near Stradishall, Suffolk.

A jail insider said: “The prisoners were on an enclosed spur where they were not individually locked in, but were in a secure part of the wing. The hooch had been brewed in secret and hidden before being drunk. Once it kicked off, the governor decided it was better to let them sleep it off rather than confront them. By the time the warders went in the following morning they came as quiet as mice.”

Nobody was hurt in the outrage, which was captured on CCTV.

A Home Office spokesman said: “I can confirm there was a minor incident involving a small number of prisoners at HMP Edmunds Hill. They appear to have been drunk on home-brewed alcohol. Negotiators were called and the incident ended peacefully the next morning.”