Prison siege ends peacefully

Two nursing staff taken hostage by a prison inmate for nearly six hours have been released unhurt.

The male and female workers had been held captive in a cell in D Hall at Saughton Prison in Edinburgh by a convict serving a life sentence.

The latest hostage-taking incident at a Scottish prison came just over a week after a prison officer was held hostage in an Aberdeen jail for around 20 hours.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: "I can confirm that the incident which started at 8am has now been concluded.

"Both hostages have been released and the prisoner involved has been relocated to alternative accommodation."

He added: "They don't appear to have suffered any physical injuries but obviously this has been a very distressing experience for everybody."

He said the workers are currently being checked over by prison medical staff. He added: "The matter is now subject to a police investigation."

Negotiations had been ongoing since the drama unfolded this morning and relatives of the two staff taken hostage were kept informed of developments.

The prisoner had taken the workers hostage in his own cell and kept them there until the incident ended around 1.30pm.

The warder, who was taken prisoner at Craiginches jail in Aberdeen, was eventually freed unharmed after a day of negotiations.