THE aborted super-prison at Thornton Hall will be replaced by a “similarly” large complex, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern has said.

THE Government believes the prison overcrowding problem will begin to ease in the coming days as new spaces come on stream.

THE number of prisoners crammed into Mountjoy jail reached a new high yesterday, less than a day after the collapse of plans for a “super prison” at Thornton Hall.

THE consortium seeking to build the Thornton Hall prison in Co Dublin wanted “hundreds of millions of euro” more than the original price submitted, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern has said.

The Government cannot afford to press ahead with controversial plans for a massive prison complex in north Dublin, it was revealed tonight.