REPAIR of Dartmoor Prison's C Wing should be a priority, Home Office Minister Paul Boateng said after an unscheduled visit last week.

He spent one and a half hours at the Princetown prison at the end of a two-day trip to the South-West. He said he would try to get the £5 million needed to deal with C Wing as early as possible.

C Wing was taken out of use in the mid-'90s after the government promised an end to 'slopping-out'. It was taken back into service in 1997 on a temporary basis when prisoner numbers rose and now houses around 100 inmates, though it has not been modernised. Bids have been made every year to get it refurbished with in-cell toilets, but without success.

Prison governor John Lawrence said: 'It looks as if it is in permanent use again, so we really need to have it upgraded. Slopping-out is archaic.'

C Wing also needs a new roof and wider landings. The inmates would need to be rehoused elsewhere for a year for the work to be carried out.

Mr Lawrence said he would put in a new bid for the capital needed and was hopeful that Mr Boateng's influence would push it through.

Mr Boateng was apparently surprised to learn that 'slopping-out' continued in Dartmoor's C Wing.

It was the first visit by a Prisons Minister to Dartmoor for at least eight years, according to Mr Lawrence.

John Masterton, vice-chairman of the Dartmoor Prison Officers' Association, spoke to Mr Boateng during his visit and said he was optimistic that money might be forthcoming to tackle the prison's problems.

'We shouldn't be slopping out in the 21st century, it's horrible,' he said.

Mr Boateng praised the staff for coping well with their challenges and said he was impressed by their dedication and commitment.

Asked about the general condition of the prison, which has around 650 inmates, he said: 'I've seen worse.'

He said it was clean and in good order and the relationship between men and prisoners was 'co-operative'.

He said the Devon and Cornwall probation services were progressing towards amalgamation in the spring.

The two services are due to be combined from April 1 as part of a national reorganisation to bring them in line with police force areas.