CRAZED cons seized control of Britain’s third biggest prison yesterday, then brazenly posed in stolen riot gear.
About 400 trashed cells and landings, started fires and raided pharmacies in the rampage at privately-run HMP Birmingham.
And as the violence unfolded, terrified sex offenders begged for help from the outside — saying their secure wing was under attack.
Late last night, specially trained police squads codenamed Tornado restored control 13 hours after the latest UK jail crisis began.
The anarchy, fuelled by an illicit trade in drugs, was reportedly sparked when the Victorian jail’s hot water supply and a TV aerial stopped working.
It started on N wing shortly before 9am. As one inmate threatened a prison officer with a used syringe, another snatched a set of keys from his belt. Officers beat a hasty retreat and the violence quickly spread.
Within hours L wing, M wing and P wing had also fallen, leaving just seven wings under staff control.
One con held on G wing — used only for inmates accused or convicted of sex offences — told his solicitor he feared they would be next.
He admitted: “The others are trying to get in. We’re terrified.”
Triumphant lags taunted their jailers using smuggled phones, sending out photos and video footage on social media to celebrate their coup.
Dramatic footage apparently from inside the jail shows massive flames rising, as inmates set fires in parts of the wings.
According to frantic relatives, prisoners were "gasping for breath and screaming for help", as smoke filled corridors and cells.
One relative said: “My brother is screaming for help. The smoke is that thick on the landing that he can’t breathe.
“He said it is absolute chaos. He is screaming for help and they are not doing anything. People have been locked in their cells for hours with no food.”
The relative also claimed that the notorious Birmingham rival street gangs had been fighting in the prison.
“People are badly injured in there,” she added. “I am worried sick, like many other families.
“The prisoners are fearing for their lives. They need help urgently.
“They are barricading themselves in because they are scared of the other inmates. They need fresh air. They need to get them out.”
Another relative said her uncle was also struggling to breathe as the fire spreads round the prison.
The relative, who did not want to be named, said:“He’s shouting ‘get me out, I can’t breathe’ and they are ignoring him. They might be criminals but they’re not animals.
“They need to be taken out of there. I think it’s disgusting.
“The fire could get out of control but they are just leaving them in there.”
Some inmates have reportedly claimed the trouble started because of a broken TV and were unable to watch TV or go to the gym
Others say it was about a lack of hot water in the showers and also poor prison food.
Shocking photos of inmates dressed as prison officers and armed with batons emerged from inside Winson Green prison as they took over at 9am.
Other snaps show smoke appearing above the prison where inmates have set fires during the disturbance.
One shocking photo shows two heavily-tattooed prisoners in muscle vests posing for selfies wearing officers' helmets.
Another taken from the upper floor of a wing shows buckets and clothes strewn over the floor as the worst prison riot dubbed the worst since Strangeways in 1990 takes hold.
In another image a lag appears to smash down a door armed with an officers' baton and riot gear, while others show grinning lags holding up riot shields.
Witnesses said inmates were hanging out of windows calling for help as they struggled to get fresh air.
At least three prisoners have been wounded including one "badly injured", according to reports.
But healthcare staff were evacuated to avoid a hostage situation.
Managing director for G4S custodial and detention, Jerry Petherick, said last night: “The four affected wings in disturbances at HMP Birmingham have now been recovered and secured.
“One prisoner was injured in today’s disturbances and he has gone to outside hospital to be treated for a broken jaw and eye socket. His family has been contacted and informed.
“The affected wings are being inspected to determine the extent of damage to prison property.
“It has been an immensely challenging day for both our team at HMP Birmingham and colleagues from across the Prison Service, who have shown great resilience and courage. They have worked tirelessly and I want to pay tribute to their hard work and thank the emergency services for their support on site.
“The prisoners behind today’s disorder showed a callous disregard for the safety of prisoners and staff and we will work hard to identify them and support West Midlands Police to push for the strongest possible sanctions in court.
“This disturbance will rightly be subject to scrutiny and we will work openly and transparently with the Ministry of Justice and other relevant authorities to understand the cause of today’s disorder.”
A prisoner told the Birmingham Mail, they are protesting a lack of access to TV and a gym.
An inmate from inside P Wing said the prisoners had sets of keys - taken from guards - and he claimed everything had been "smashed up."
He added: "It started with seven of them on the netting and it just escalated from there.
"Everything is getting smashed up though. The windows are being smashed up and fires have been set.
"I've never seen anything like this before. The biggest issue for most of us is the lack of exercise. They have stopped from using the gym and from having any exercise.
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"When we were told this morning that we were not getting exercise everyone went mad. They have had enough.
"They cancel gym all the time, the showers are cold, the food is crap, the heating is never on and we never get our mail on time.
"We saw some guards near the doors with shields and helmets earlier but they all ran off.
"It means the prisoners have been able to move between the two wings. I would say there are about 600 of us and no guards at all. We are in control."
Another prisoner said lack of exercise was the biggest issue for prisoners and he claimed prisoners' human rights have been breached.
He added: "We are entitled to half an hour of exercise every day and we are just not getting it.
Locals also claim to have seen smoke rising from the N-Wing of the building.
"I was on N wing before and we did not get the proper levels of exercise for six weeks.
"People are going crazy because of it. They are breaching our human rights and the government needs to do something about it, they need to sort it out.
"It's a dangerous place at the moment. People are walking around with knives and G4S have no control."
'WORST IN 26 YEARS'
THE rampage was described as the worst of its kind since the Strangeways Riots of 1990.
A prison officer died in violence at the Manchester jail, which lasted a record 25 days and injured a further 147 jailers and 47 inmates. Lags there took control of the chapel and dozens staged a rooftop protest, left, hurling roof slates at staff on the ground. The bill for damage hit £90million. Prison affairs academic Alex Cavendish said: “The riot at Birmingham is probably the most serious in a B category prison since Strangeways.”
One prisoner, speaking through a relative, said: "I have been in riots before and this is, by far, the worst I've come across.
"There are now three wings involved and the whole prison is surrounded."
Prisoner Stefan Paraszko, 60, who was released yesterday, said: "I've been here for four-and-a-half months and there's been a few deaths in that time.
"I didn't see anything kick off but it's horrendous in there.
"There'a a lack of staff and they don't give a s***. You're not scared of the prison officers. You don't look up to them.
"Nobody has time for anything. Everyone always says they're too busy."
Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: “I want to pay tribute to the bravery and dedication of the prison officers who resolved this disturbance. I also want to give my thanks to West Midlands Police, who supported G4S and the Prison Service throughout the day, ambulance crews and the fire service who also provided assistance.
“This was a serious situation and a thorough investigation will now be carried out. Violence in our prisons will not be tolerated and those responsible will face the full force of the law.”
Labour MP for Perry Barr Khalid Mahmood said government cuts were to blame.
He said: "This is very serious. It is what happens when you push through cuts to services.
"You get prisoners locked up for long periods because there aren’t enough prison officers.
"It adds further pressure to an already stressful situation and frustrations boil over."
The Prison Officers Association, the union representing 10,000 staff nationwide, said: "This is another stark warning to the Ministry of Justice that the Service is in crisis.”
It comes one month after prisoner Dean Boland, 30, died of a drug overdose in the prison's rehabilitation wing.
Winson Green prison was home to serial killer Fred West and where he committed suicide while on remand.
It's not the first time prisoners have rioted - in fact the UK has a long history of brutal prison violence.
The infamous Strangeways prison riot in Manchester lasted 25 days and left hundreds injured.
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