Inmates at Ford Open Prison live in conditions described as appalling which provide neither privacy nor dignity, according to a new report.

The criticism of the jail, near Arundel, was made in a report published today by the chief inspector of prisons, Anne Owers.

She said overcrowding was a major problem and the standard of accommodation should be urgently improved.

However, prison governor Ken Kan said prison staff were doing the best they could in difficult circumstances when overcrowding in prisons had almost reached crisis point.

An unannounced inspection of the prison was carried out in May this year.

Inspectors found accommodation problems were being exacerbated by overcrowding and concluded some living conditions were unacceptable.

Their report said: "Some of the accommodation was appalling, providing neither privacy nor dignity.

"While dormitories were excessively crowded, every nook and cranny was being pressed into service as accommodation: the health care centre's waiting room, a storeroom, a dining room for less mobile prisoners.

"The overall impact on prisoners was degrading."

Inspectors said the prison's resettlement role needed to be improved but said they understood overcrowding problems meant the prison was being sent inmates for whom they could do very little.

The report said: "Ford provides a graphic illustration of how overcrowding is also undermining the crucial resettlement work necessary to return prisoners successfully into the community."

Mr Kan said: "Despite some negative criticisms, Ford is actually a very good prison.

"We are having to manage a national crisis about overcrowding. In my opinion the accommodation is decent and we are housing inmates in the most imaginative way possible.

"We do not have five-star hotel facilities but they are reasonable and decent."

He said criticism that a cleaning storeroom had been turned into a prisoner's cell was inaccurate.

He said: "If you asked the person what they thought of their room they would think it was perfectly acceptable. It is for one inmate and they have their own television."

Inspectors praised Ford for improvements in education, healthcare and its help for inmates from overseas.

It singled out the prison's Well-Man screening clinic for praise and said the prison had done excellent work in establishing links with local services and employers.