DRUGS are a growing problem at Maidstone jail in Kent, a new report by chief inspector of prisons Peter Clarke has warned.

His team was also troubled by the “disproportionate” use of strip-searching and inmates having to wait six months to see a dentist.

Although the prison was “calm and well-ordered,” Mr Clarke warned the governor not to be complacent. He was particularly worried about illicit substances entering the Victorian prison, which houses 600 foreign male offenders.