Reason for Doncaster prison riot may remain a mystery

Rival gangs are thought to have been behind three nights of violence at the prison, near Doncaster, which brings together lifers aged 18 to 21 from across the country.

Three prison officers and two prisoners were left injured after the trouble earlier this month, which spread from the young offenders' unit to an adult wing and forced bosses to move more than 250 inmates to other jails.

Yorkshire's director of offender management, Steve Wagstaffe, said the first night of rioting broke out after a prison officer was injured while trying to stop a fight.

He said most of the inmates had been in the prison for some time and it was unlikely that the trouble had been started by incoming prisoners.

"Moorland takes life sentence young offenders from all over the country – bringing together people from cities like London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Leeds – and it's quite a balancing act.

"It seems that just one spark when you have got the right conditions is enough to cause trouble.

"On the third night, we got some feedback from prisoners who had been dispersed elsewhere. When asked why they had taken part, some said, 'We don't know, we just joined in'. We might never know why it happened."

Mr Wagstaffe said two of the prison's five houseblocks remained closed and no inmates would return there before Christmas. No arrests have been made.