Inmate at UK jail drunk on Swine Flu hand gel

An inmate at a prison in Dorset, UK, allegedly drank anti-bacterial hand gel causing him to get drunk. The incident forced the prison to remove the hand gel while an investigation takes place.

HMP The Verne in Portland, Dorset had only distributed the hand gel on Monday in an effort to stop the spread of Swine Flu. As BBC News reports, within hours of the alcohol gel being distributed, there was a reported incident of an intoxicated inmate, the Prison Officers Association said. The hand gels have now been removed, say the Prison Service, as a precautionary measure while the investigation into the incident takes place. A representative of the Prison Officers Association at The Verne said, "We were informed of an incident within hours of the gel being available. In one of the wings it is believed an inmate was using it inappropriately. When you get something called alcohol gel you can see what is going to happen. We had concerns when we heard these were being given to inmates. You don't want drunk prisoners running around the prison." A spokesman for the Prison Service also added, "On Sept. 21, a prisoner at HMP The Verne showed signs of intoxication, the cause of which will be investigated. Anti-bacterial gel pumps have been removed from the prison as a precautionary measure." It's believed the prisoner mixed the hand gel with another drink before consuming it. In March, many hospitals including the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, also in Dorset, said they were removing hand gel from reception areas in an effort to stop visitors from drinking the hand gel. Use of hand gels available in the ward areas were also being more closely supervised by staff.