A damning parliamentary report has exposed that taxpayers are footing a bill of £4 million every year for the upkeep of a prison that has stood empty for over 18 months.
The Radon Gas Scandal That Closed a Jail
HMP Dartmoor in Princetown, Devon, was abruptly shut down in July 2024 after dangerous levels of radioactive radon gas were discovered within the facility. The readings exceeded the recommended safety limit, prompting the emergency relocation of more than 600 inmates to other prisons.
Since that closure, the category C prison has remained completely vacant. However, a new report from the influential House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, published on Wednesday 7 January 2026, has laid bare the ongoing financial burden. The committee found that HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is locked into an 11-year lease for the site, which runs until 2033, costing the service the enormous annual sum.
A 'Needless Waste' of Public Money
MPs on the committee did not mince words, branding the ongoing expenditure a "needless waste of taxpayers' money." The criticism extends beyond the lease costs, as HMPPS is also committed to a staggering £68 million in improvement costs for the dormant jail.
The report urges the prison service to "set out what it has learned from the failures of its decision making" and to "ensure that any future contracts deliver value for money." While the prison service argued the lease was signed due to a severe capacity crisis, MPs rejected this, labelling it a justification for "poor commercial decisions."
Investigation and Government Response
The future of the historic prison site remains uncertain. The Health and Safety Executive is currently investigating the radon levels at HMP Dartmoor. A final decision on whether the prison can ever safely reopen will be made once those results are delivered.
In response to the report, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson stated: "This government inherited a crisis in our prisons system... This government is addressing the prisons crisis through building 14,000 new prison places, and the Sentencing Bill which will deliver punishment that works."
The revelation underscores significant questions about financial oversight and long-term planning within the prison estate, leaving a costly, empty facility in Devon as a stark symbol of the failings.
