Three people were arrested yesterday following a report of items being thrown over the wall into Erlestoke Prison.

Police received a call from a member of the public at approximately 8.30am on Thursday 7 December.

Descriptions of the three people involved were given to police and an area search was carried out.

A 26-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man, all from Swindon, were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to bring, or convey a prohibited article into a prison. They have all been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Sergeant Lou Oakley said: “This was a good bit of policing by officers, who, with the assistance of a vigilant member of the public who alerted us to those involved and gave descriptions, we were able to carry out a search and locate them, despite them fleeing the scene.

“Our enquiries will be continuing into this incident but we would encourage any members of the public to report suspicious activity, persons or vehicles at the location immediately because, as this case demonstrates, we will always act on information we receive to ensure we catch offenders.”