One in five inmates randomly tested in Lewes prison had taken drugs, new figures reveal.

The news comes days after the prison announced plans to axe its dedicated drug rehabilitation wing.

Official Government statistics show 20.4 per cent of the 57 inmates tested at the jail in the last year were positive.

The figure is well above the national average of 12.4 per cent.

Lewes Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: "Clearly it is very worrying that such a large number of prisoners are getting high.

"It is well above the national figure and must be addressed."

The prison's "drug-free" B-Wing, where inmates went when they wished to kick the habit, is to be closed.

Instead, prison staff are to attempt to make the entire prison drug-free, Mr Baker said.

The MP said he had received more than 20 letters from inmates who were concerned by the decision.

They told him drugs were too widely available for them to give up without the dedicated drug free zone.

Mr Baker added:

"I hope the governor has a strategy to deal with this drug use without throwing away the existing bit whichis already working."

The most popular drug at Lewes was cannabis, with 16.1 per cent of those tested found to have taken the drug.

But some 6.5 per cent tested positive for opiates such as heroin.

No evidence was found of prisoners taking cocaine or benzodiazepines.