A rooftop protest by an inmate at Norwich Prison has led to the closure of part of a unit at the jail, it has emerged.

The prisoner was on the roof of the Knox Road jail for several hours before eventually being talked down by staff following the protest which has resulted in damage to the segregation unit.

It is believed the unit, which houses some of the prison's most difficult inmates, has had to close as a result of the damage caused as a result of the incident.

Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA) said: 'There was an incident at the weekend where a prisoner got onto the roof of the segregation unit and caused damage to it.

'It's caused a lot of damage to the roof because the segregation unit which is closed at the moment and prisoners were transferred to another jail.'

Mr Gillan said the POA was 'very concerned' about the breach of security which they were putting to budget cuts and staffing levels.

He said: 'Prison officers are under a lot of stress at this moment in time because of cuts by the government and Norwich is not immune to that.'

No-one from the Ministry of Justice was available for comment.