A BAG of contraband – including mobile phones and class A drugs – worth an estimated £28,000 was found near a Dorset prison.

It is believed someone tried to throw the items inside the prison wall around Guys Marsh Prison near Shaftesbury.

Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident but no arrests have been made.

The bag contained an illegal cannabis substitute known as Spice, mobile phones, class A drugs and other narcotics and had an estimated prison value of £28,000. It is understood it was seized after an attempt to throw the bag over the wall of the prison.

The incident happened in November, but details have only just come to light.

The news comes just months after the prison hit national headlines when photos emerged of inmates enjoying what appeared to be smuggled steaks and fish and chip takeaways. The Prison Service referred the matter to the police. Dorset Police said at the time that they were investigating the incident.

The force also teamed up with the prison service in November to crackdown on the trafficking of illegal drugs and mobile phones. A joint operation was carried out on December 23 with Dorset Police saying they will continue the crackdown in 2017.

Chief Inspector Ben Hargreaves, of Dorset Police, said at the time: “There is a strong link between incidents of criminality and violence inside prisons and the availability of illegal drugs and mobile phones and other contraband.

“Our aim was to tackle drugs and other commodities from entering the prison, which we believe will lead directly to a reduction in violent incidents. Immediate feedback was that visitors were surprised by the scale of our operation.

“Dorset Police works very closely with the governor and staff at HMP Guys Marsh to ensure that allegations of crime are dealt with appropriately.”

A Prison Service spokesman added: "We take a zero tolerance approach to contraband in prisons and we are stepping up efforts to find and block mobile phones. We are also introducing tougher new sentences for those smuggling mobile phones into prisons.

"We have set out plans to educate prisoners about the dangers of drugs, especially the risks of new psychoactive substances. As part of our strategy to tackle this, we have rolled out new testing and have trained over 300 dogs to detect these substances."

Inmates face a maximum penalty of two years in prison if found to be using a mobile phone.

Anyone with information about similar incidents is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org