PAY CUTS and booming house prices could force prison officers to "move back in with their parents," a union representative has claimed.

Loss of the locality pay allowance, which topped up prison officers' salaries before it was scrapped in 2012, means staff at two Surrey jails would be left in the red after rent and council tax if they were renting a one-bedroom flat nearby.

In a dossier of grievances circulated to bosses and MPs, the Prison Officers' Association (POA) member complains that officers have been forced to double their pension contributions despite taking home less money each month.

And he said the "chronically understaffed" service is struggling to persuade officers to stay in the profession.

But in the most shocking revelations, he revealed that officers in "operational support grades" at HMP Send and HMP Coldingly could be left around £128 out of pocket after paying just rent and council tax on a flat - before even considering costs for food, transport, bills and other necessities.

And officers who apply for promotion at those jails would be forced to accept a pay cut - because their contracts would not include the locality pay allowance.

The allowance was scrapped and replaced with additional boons for officers in inner and outer London. But expensive Home Counties areas such as Surrey were left out.

"For staff new to the job as either an operational support grade, or a prison officer, house purchase is a fantasy, rental of a property is un-affordable, and so what option is there?" he asks.

"Live with their parents? Rent a room in a shared property? How is that decent, fair and sustainable?"

The revelations came as TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady slammed ministers for forcing workers into a cost of living crisis.

Ms O'Grady said last night: "Public-sector pay cuts are one of the main reasons that living standards have been falling.

"Not only do our public servants deserve decent wages, but our businesses need employees in all sectors to have the spending power that will sustain a solid recovery."

At the time of going to press, the Ministry of Justice had not responded to a request for comment.