POLICE are investigating claims that prisoners at top-security Whitemoor Prison, March, were racially abused by staff. Detectives said their inquiry was in its early stages . A police spokeswoman said a number of inmates had made allegations, including c

POLICE are investigating claims that prisoners at top-security Whitemoor Prison, March, were racially abused by staff.

Detectives said their inquiry was in its "early stages".

A police spokeswoman said a number of inmates had made allegations, including complaints that some assaults were racially motivated.

She said the inquiry was being headed by a detective chief inspector. No one had been arrested.

The Guardian reported that several firms of solicitors were pursuing complaints on behalf of prisoners.

Lubia Begum-Rob, a solicitor at the Prisoners' Advice Service, told the newspaper: "I am most concerned that the largest numbers of complaints I deal with are persistently from prisoners held in HMP Whitemoor.''

Solicitor Dan Rubinstein, who is representing several Whitemoor prisoners, also told The Guardian: "I'm very concerned because of the sheer number of incidents occurring in one prison.

"This has got to be more than a coincidence. The situation appears to be worse in Whitemoor than anywhere else.''

He said the "scale and the repetitiveness of the assaults'' indicated a serious problem.

A Prison Service spokesman said he could not comment on continuing investigations.