Mouse plague forces evacuation of jail in western NSW
Mice have damaged internal wiring and ceiling panels at Wellington correctional centre.
The plague of rats that cut off a devastating stumbling block in western New South Wales for months forced the release of a regional prison.
Up to 200 staff members and 420 male and female prisoners at the Wellington Correctional Center will be transferred to other prisons over the next 10 days during the cleanup and repair work.
Corrective Services NSW commissioner Peter Severin said prison operations would be reduced to deal with the crisis and visits would be suspended until the repair work was completed.(ads2)
"The health, safety and well-being of staff and prisoners is our top priority and it is important that we take action now to carry out this important redress work," he said on Tuesday. "We must take this step now to ensure that the area is properly cleaned and the infrastructure repaired."
Most of the staff will be relocated to other prisons in the western region, while the skeleton team will be based in Wellington to oversee and contribute to the repair work.
Mice caused damage to the internal cords and the inner roof.
The Assistant Commissioner for Correctional Services, Kevin Corcoran, said the task of redressing this would involve investigating ways to protect the institution from future misery.
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