Region

Prisons in East of England

East of England has 12 establishments in our dataset: 11 run by HMPPS; 1 privately run (Sodexo: Peterborough). By designation they are 8 HMP, 4 HMP & YOI, and 1 holds women. The largest is HMP & YOI Peterborough (1,304 places). 3 carry a Band 3 market supplement.

Prisons: 12
Operational capacity: 9,366
Market supplements: 3
Officer staffing vs target: -231 FTE

East of England in numbers

Across the 11 sites with an itemised figure, HMPPS reports an operational capacity of 8,062 and a population of 7,829 (97%) at 24 August 2026. The largest is HMP Littlehey at 1,243; the smallest is HMP Warren Hill at 250; the highest occupancy is HMP Bure at 100% of its operational capacity. Peterborough, whose HMPPS figure covers its men's and women's prisons together, is also left out.

Of the 11 HMPPS-run prisons, 11 in the National zone. Band 3 entry pay on 39 hours runs from £37,131 (Whitemoor) to £41,131 (Bedford) once any supplement is counted. On the HMPPS market supplement list: Bedford (£2,000), Highpoint (£2,000), The Mount (£2,000).

HMPPS's 2025/26 performance ratings cover 12 of them: 2 outstanding, 7 good, 2 of concern, 1 serious concern. The highest overall score is 92.9% (Warren Hill) and the lowest is 48.1% (Bedford).

12 prisons have an HMIP report on record; 12 have four graded tests from a full inspection. On safety the latest full inspections gave 5 good, 4 reasonably good, 2 not sufficiently good and 1 poor. 2 had every test at reasonably good or better (Hollesley Bay, Warren Hill). 5 were graded poor on at least one test (Peterborough, Bedford, Highpoint, The Mount, Whitemoor). The newest report is Bure (September 2026) and the oldest is Littlehey (December 2023).

Staffing against target (Band 3 to 5, hours-adjusted FTE, 30 June 2026) is published for 11 of them: 231 FTE short in total, with Whitemoor furthest below (-90) and 1 over target. A gap is a staffing measure, not advertised vacancies.

By HMPPS functional group the establishments split as 4 Category C Trainer/Resettlement, 3 Reception, 2 Category C Trainer, 1 Open, 1 Female / Reception, 1 High Security.

Counted from our dataset, 3 October 2026.

Prison by prison: key numbers

Key numbers for prisons in East of England, largest first

Prison	Capacity	Full	HMPPS rating	HMIP safety	Latest HMIP report	39h entry pay (* with supplement)
Peterborough	1,304	95%	2 of 4, 57.1%	reasonably good	November 2024	Not HMPPS pay
Littlehey	1,243	100%	3 of 4, 60.8%	good	December 2023	£37,131
Highpoint	1,160	96%	3 of 4, 59.5%	reasonably good	January 2024	£41,131 *
The Mount	1,078	97%	3 of 4, 64.7%	reasonably good	February 2025	£41,131 *
Wayland	846	98%	2 of 4, 57.7%	not sufficiently good	May 2026	£37,131
Norwich	712	91%	3 of 4, 60.8%	reasonably good	April 2026	£37,131
Hollesley Bay	655	99%	4 of 4, 83.1%	good	July 2024	£37,131
Bure	643	100%	3 of 4, 72.8%	good	September 2026	£37,131
Chelmsford	639	98%	3 of 4, 59.2%	not sufficiently good	May 2024	£37,131
Whitemoor	458	100%	3 of 4, 64.7%	good	February 2026	£37,131
Bedford	378	96%	1 of 4, 48.1%	poor	October 2024	£41,131 *
Warren Hill	250	91%	4 of 4, 92.9%	good	June 2025	£37,131

Working in East of England

Apply via HMPPS Prison and Probation Jobs for public-sector prisons in England and Wales; each operator's own site for private prisons (Sodexo). Compare commute and pay in the prison finder; guides: jobs by region, pay by region, market supplements.

All prisons in East of England

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Prisons in East of England

Prison	Town	Type	HMPPS group	Run by	Capacity	Band 3 entry, 39h	Supplement
HMP & YOI Chelmsford	Chelmsford	HMP & YOI	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	639	£37,131	None
HMP & YOI Hollesley Bay	Woodbridge	HMP & YOI	Open	Public (HMPPS)	655	£37,131	None
HMP & YOI Norwich	Norwich	HMP & YOI	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	712	£37,131	None
HMP & YOI Peterborough	Westwood, Peterborough	HMP & YOI	Female / Reception	Private	1,304	n/a	n/a
HMP Bedford	Bedford	HMP	Reception	Public (HMPPS)	378	£41,131	£2,000
HMP Bure	near Norwich	HMP	Category C Trainer	Public (HMPPS)	643	£37,131	None
HMP Highpoint	Stradishall, near Newmarket	HMP	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	1,160	£41,131	£2,000
HMP Littlehey	near Huntingdon	HMP	Category C Trainer	Public (HMPPS)	1,243	£37,131	None
HMP The Mount	Bovingdon	HMP	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	1,078	£41,131	£2,000
HMP Warren Hill	near Woodbridge	HMP	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	250	£37,131	None
HMP Wayland	near Thetford	HMP	Category C Trainer/Resettlement	Public (HMPPS)	846	£37,131	None
HMP Whitemoor	March	HMP	High Security	Public (HMPPS)	458	£37,131	None

Other regions

Functional groups here

Compare prisons in the finder

Prisons in East of England: FAQs

How many prisons are in East of England?

12: Chelmsford, Hollesley Bay, Norwich, Peterborough, Bedford, Bure, Highpoint, Littlehey, The Mount, Warren Hill, Wayland and Whitemoor. 1 is privately run.

What do prison officers earn in East of England?

11 in the National zone. Band 3 entry pay on 39 hours runs from £37,131 (Whitemoor) to £41,131 (Bedford) once any supplement is counted. On the HMPPS market supplement list: Bedford (£2,000), Highpoint (£2,000), The Mount (£2,000).

Which prisons in East of England pay a market supplement?

HMP Bedford (£2,000), HMP Highpoint (£2,000) and HMP The Mount (£2,000), per the HMPPS pay page checked 3 October 2026. Supplements are non-pensionable and can be withdrawn.

What is the biggest prison in East of England?

HMP & YOI Peterborough, with an operational capacity of 1,304 at 24 August 2026.

Which prisons in East of England have the best HMIP grades?

Hollesley Bay and Warren Hill had no test below reasonably good at their latest full inspection; some of those inspections are several years old.