PRISON officers face attacks almost 30 times a day, figures reveal.
A record 10,496 assaults were logged in the year to September 2024 — up from 8,516 the previous 12 months.
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And 972 were serious assaults, up from 765.
There were 19,721 attacks on fellow prisoners, the Ministry of Justice statistics show.
Last weekend, Hashem Abedi — brother and accomplice of the Manchester Arena suicide bomber — severely injured three warders in a stab and scald attack at HMP Frankland, Co Durham.
Steve Gillan, of the Prison Officers Association, said: “These figures expose the true picture of violence in jails.”
POA national chair Mark Fairhurst added: “We need urgent and sustained action to protect our members and the prisoners they look after.
“It is time prison leaders left their ivory towers and started listening to the front line.”
Overcrowding has been blamed for the rise in violence.
The prison population is at 99.3 per cent capacity with just 551 free spaces in male prisons.
The Ministry of Justice said: “There are far too many attacks on our hardworking staff and the Government will do whatever it takes to keep them safe.
“The Government is investing in maintenance and security, and prisoners who are violent will face the full consequences.”