PRISON officers are to receive body-worn cameras as part of a £3 million investment to improve safety in jails, it has been announced.

The Ministry of Justice revealed it is investing £2 million in 5,600 cameras, meaning every prison officer across England and Wales will have access to the devices.

A further £1 million is being invested in "police-style" handcuffs and restraints to reduce the need for staff to use physical holds to control aggressive prisoners.

Dorset has two prisons - HMP Guys Marsh and HMP Portland.

In August, serving prisoner Nigel Saunders was sentenced to seven years in prison after setting fire to Guys Marsh, causing millions of pounds worth of damage.

Extensive body worn video footage was shown to the court.

The 29-year-old, who admitted arson reckless as to whether life was endangered, was captured on the video chanting: "The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire." One officer could be heard shouting at Saunders to extinguish the fire, telling him: “That’s arson to endanger life – put it out.”

Prisons minister Sam Gyimah said: "I am absolutely determined to tackle head-on the issues that undermine the safety and security of our prisons and to ensure our dedicated officers have the tools they need to do the job."