Ministers prepare extra 500 prison places for accused far-right rioters

Ministers are preparing an additional 500 prison places to cope with an influx of expected to be held on remand over the next month, the Ministry of Justice said on Monday.

From next week, the plans will include using cells at the newly repurposed HMP Cookham Wood, a former youth offenders’ institute that was closed in March after it was called “inhumane” by a prison watchdog.

Officials will also accelerate fire safety work on abandoned cells across the estate, and open a new housing block at HMP Stocken in Rutland, East Midlands.

More than 400 people have been arrested so far since far-right unrest erupted after the killing of three young girls in Southport last Monday.

Related: Far-right rioters in Sunderland ‘will not define us’, says mayor

The need for extra cells for rioters comes amid an overcrowding crisis. Last month, there were 87,500 prisoners in England and Wales, with just 700 free places in the men’s estate.

The lord chancellor and justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “The prime minister has been clear from the outset that those involved should expect to face the full force of our justice system.

“My message to anyone who chooses to take part in this violence is simple. The police, courts and prisons stand ready and you will face the consequences of these appalling acts.”

Officials said the new measures were already in train, but have brought them forward to address the disturbances. The measures are on top of plans announced in July to free up 5,000 places before Christmas by releasing prisoners after serving only 40% of their sentences.

The scheme, called SDS40, is expected to start with two mass releases, on 10 September and 22 October, in which 5,500 prisoners will be freed . It is expected the scheme will bridge the gap until the SDS40 plans begins.

Officials have denied reports that overnight courts had already been authorised but insisted they could be launched at short notice, on the orders of the judiciary.

Any decision would be made after a consultation between Mahmood and the lady chief justice, Sue Carr.

After riots across the UK in 2011, the Additional Courts Protocol made clear that a decision to list additional courts was a judicial decision. The basis for this was that listing is a judicial responsibility and function.

A spokesperson for the judiciary said: “There are contingency measures in place across the criminal justice system, to handle any unexpected and exceptional increases in demand on the magistrates courts.

“This includes additional sittings of courts during regular hours which is happening now. At present no emergency protocols have been activated and this remains under review.”