WATCHDOGS today praised Dorchester Prison in a glowing new report but warned of budget cuts at the jail.

Governor Richard Bateman was commended for his management in the annual report of the prison's board of visitors.

But board chairman Margaret Field raised concerns about imposed budgetary cuts and the effect on manpower at the North Square jail.

Derek Yeomans, chairman of the jail's Prison Officer's Association (POA), backed her tribute to Mr Bateman but blasted financial reductions as 'absolutely ludicrous'.

Mrs Field said: "The board commends the governor for the style of management he has brought to Dorchester, which has resulted in a calm and well-ordered establishment.

"This was in a year when he has been required to spend too much of his time juggling with budgets in order to balance the books."

The report highlighted the 'incredibly effective' way in which the governor, senior management and staff worked together to improve the jail and minimise budgetary restraints on inmates. But it raised concerns about the effect on Dorchester of the 'failure' of the government to deal properly with mentally-disturbed prisoners and deportees.

Mrs Field added: "How can the governor of a small local prison achieve the proper conditions for the rehabilitation of prisoners when he is faced with continuous reductions in his budget with the result that, effectively, he has less to spend year on year?"

Mr Bateman took over at the jail two years ago. He welcomed the report and said he had strived for a positive working relationship with staff to achieve a high output given their resources, adding that budgetary considerations were not peculiar to Dorchester and that funds were allocated depending on priorities.

Mr Yeomans, who has 34 years' prison service experience, told Mrs Field that he had never met such a caring governor to both prisoners and staff as Mr Bateman.

He said: "We all deplore budget cutbacks. What it means is less staff while the number of prisoners increases. It is an absolute tribute to everyone that the jail is run as well as it is with a good relationship between prisoners and staff and local management."

He warned that the prison service was storing up problems by failing to fund enough officers in jails.

He added: "When something goes wrong it will be my members on the front line, not the politicians."