Prison officers: Overcrowding is leading to tensions

Prison officers say overcrowding is one of the main contributory factors leading to tension in the country's prisons.

Yesterday, five prison officers were injured, one seriously in a stand-off with inmates at Mountjoy Prison in Dublin.

Around 35 inmates barricaded themselves into the recreation area in the prison's D-wing and forced staff to withdraw.

The Irish Prison Officers Association is calling for an urgent meeting with the Irish Prison Service.

Deputy General Secretary of the IPOA, Eugene Dennehy, says yesterday's incident is not the first of it's kind and the issue of overcrowding needs to be tackled immediately.