Fire crews were called to Shropshire’s young offenders’ institution at Stoke Heath, near Market Drayton, yesterday after an inmate allegedly started a blaze inside the building.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to Stoke Heath YOI just before 7.50pm last night following reports of a fire inside the premises, which houses offenders up to the age of 21.

A spokesman for the service said firefighters from Prees and Market Drayton attended.

He said: “It was a fire that one of the inmates had started which was inside the building itself. It was dealt with by the time we got there. It was nothing serious and was put out by staff before we arrived.”

Watch manager Roger Smith, from Market Drayton fire station, said the fire was confined to a cell on G wing and involved a plastic bin and a small quantity of bedding.

He said: “We just had to carry out an inspection to make sure the fire was out and do a report.”

In July, the Independent Monitoring Board’s annual report revealed money was being spent on a fence to prevent inmates at Stoke Heath running onto a rooftop, following “major incidents”.

But the report added gang culture continued to be a problem. The submission of racist incident reporting forms had risen by more than 25 per cent and the number of assaults on staff was still a concern.

But this year the facility has achieved two “significant milestones” – being awarded the Investors in People status and enhancing the level of the unit from two to three after external inspections.