Decision expected on new prison

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that an announcement will be made later on the site of a new prison in Wales.

The shortlist, announced last August, involved four locations: Caernarfon, Cwmbran, Merthyr Tydfil and Wrexham.

The new jail is designed to address an estimated shortfall of 1,300 prison places in Wales.

There has been a strong campaign for the prison to be located in north Wales, to make access easier for families and solicitors.

Prisons minister David Hanson is due to announced a decision later.

The shortlisted location for Caernarfon is at the old Ferodo factory, most recently the site of the former Friction Dynamex factory, where there was a long-running dispute.

Local MPs and Gwynedd Council have added their support.

The ministry has said there is a need for a new jail after figures showed there was an overall shortage of prison places in north Wales of around 800, and in the south of 500.

The North Wales Criminal Justice Board has previously claimed a prison could create 1,000 jobs and bring