rumours are rife in Usk that the local prison, which has been used to house 'vulnerable' prisoners since 1990, is to be converted to a Category C training prison.

Monmouth MP David Davies has urged the Governor of Usk Prison to confirm or deny the rumours, and said, "There have been numerous concerns in the past about putting vulnerable prisoners into the open prison at Prescoed because of the nature of the offences they have committed.

"However, I believe changing HMP Usk to a Category C training prison would cause enormous problems for the people of the town. This is because, by their nature, Category C prisoners are far less likely to be compliant, and so residents living in the immediate vicinity will be subject to increased levels of noise.