A ROOFTOP prison protest at Winchester Prison has been "resolved", the Daily Echo can confirm.

Emergency services, including police, fire and ambulance have been called to the category B prison on Romsey Road this afternoon.

A prison service spokesman later confirmed that the “incident had been resolved” by 8.30pm but refused to provide any more details.

A source had previously told the Daily Echo: “The prisoner is being disruptive, violent and breaking things off.”

Daily Echo:

Initially a Prison Service spokesman said: “There is an ongoing incident at height at HMP Winchester involving one prisoner, who gained access to a roof at around 3.30pm.

“Specialist staff are at the scene working to bring the situation to a safe conclusion,” he said.

The inmate, who has not been named, was on a relatively low roof of a modern building not on the high roo in the Victorian part of the prison.

In these situations, nationally-based specialist task teams can be called in to remove inmates.

A fire engine, ambulance and four vans, believed to be prison service vehicles, were parked outside the prison.

A fire spokesman at the scene said that seven prison service vehicles arrived at around 5.40pm, with three entering the building so officers could "get the gear on, go up and forcibly bring him down."

"We don't know why we're here," he said. "We're not going to put a ladder up because he won't come down.

"I don't think there's anything we can do."

A caller to the Daily Echo said there was a “rooftop protest” being held by an inmate unhappy at the length of time he has spent in the jail. The Ministry of Justice declined to comment.