A prison officer who had been working at Norwich Prison for less than a week has suffered a neck injury after being attacked with a bladed weapon by an inmate.

A prison officer who had been working at Norwich Prison for less than a week has suffered a neck injury after being attacked with a bladed weapon by an inmate.

The guard, believed to be in his 40s, was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) after the attack on June 11 with injuries to his neck, jaw and hands.

A person who said he was a prisoner, but requested anonymity for concerns over his safety, told BBC Radio Norfolk of the attack after becoming concerned of the numbers of violent incidents in the prison.

He told the radio station that the officer 'was in a really bad way'.

'If it hadn't been for the other officer protecting him he would have been killed,' he added.

'The officer was in a really bad way. But since it happened nothing has changed.

'There aren't enough staff so we spend too much time in our cells.

'It's a case of inmates protecting the guards at the moment and it should be the other way around.'

A prison spokeswomen told the BBC it has recently had a major overhaul of the prison system, including 2,500 extra frontline offices.

'HMP Norwich maintains appropriate and safe staffing levels on a daily basis and is actively recruiting for a number of prison officers,' she added.

'We do not tolerate any violence against staff who work in our prisons. When incidents like this occur we will always work closely with the police to push for the strongest possible punishment.'

Two other guards were hurt in the attack.