A controversial clip of rowdy prisoners having an 'impromptu' Christmas day party has been viewed over 500,000 times since making its way online on Tuesday this week. The video is believed to have been taken by one of the prisoners themselves at HM Prison Lancaster Farms in Northen Lancashire.
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Despite the cheer, joy and mayhem the inmates are displaying, many viewers were left infuriated and upset at the sight, taking to social media to express their concerns:
"Criminals getting a bed and Christmas dinner whilst ex- servicemen and women are homeless for Christmas. Absolute joke," one distressed user commented.
"As a retired Prison Officer these scenes make me want to vomit. The Governors at the Farms should hang their heads in shame. Total disgrace," another expressed.
The clip shows the jailed men dancing, chanting and waving their hands whilst dressed in casual festive festive gear, appearing to be doing so freely outside their cells.
Since the video had been circulating openly online, the prison establishment themselves have spoken out about the incident, whilst strongly condemning the actions of the inmates in question. HMP Lancaster farms expressed that these actions are not tolerated and that they will employ further measures to enforce the safety and security requirements in the prison: "Anyone found with a mobile phone faces extra time behind bars and we are spending £2m to detect and block them from being used," a spokewoman explains.