SUGGESTIONS that child murderer Ian Huntley, who is jailed in Long Lartin Prison, near Honeybourne, has been given free-rein of the prison, have been rubbished by the Ministry of Justice.

Huntley was jailed for the murders of Soham 10-year-olds Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in 2002.

He shares Long Lartin with other category A inmates including Longprophets vocalist and child sex offender Ian Watkins, Suffolk strangler Steve Wright and liquid bomb plotter Tanvir Hussain.

This week is has been revealed that more than a third of offenders in prison, including Huntley, have their own key for privacy locks and that this had been the case since they were introduced in 1991.

The revelation came following a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice by West Yorkshire MP Phillip Davies.

Mr Davies said he was astonished at the numbers and called the prison service "a joke" and suggested the system was becoming too lenient.

However, a prison service spokesman said privacy keys were not a new thing and were purely for privacy matters such as when a prisoner wanted to use the bathroom. He said prison officers could override the lock at any time - so the prisoner could not lock himself in - and the key did not allow access to other parts of the prison.

The spokesman said: "It is absolute nonsense to suggest any prisoners are able to 'roam' prisons. Some are provided keys so they can lock the door when they use the toilet. Cells can still be accessed at all times by prison officers."

The Ministry of Justice also stated that the key gives a prisoner the ability to open and close their own cell during a designated set period when the door would otherwise have been open.

"It does not allow them to open other cells or doors/gates to other parts of the prison.

"At all other times the cell doors can only be opened by prison staff who hold security keys which operate a separate cell door lock.

"The retention in possession of a privacy lock key by a prisoner does not impact on the overall security of the prison and presents a minimal risk.

"All privacy lock schemes are implemented and managed at a local level and keys are only issued to prisoners whose suitability has been assessed."

Although many of them are at open prisons and youth offenders' institutes, others are in standard closed prisons for those who have committed very serious crimes, including murder, rape, paedophilia and even terrorism offences.

Among the 70 prisons, which provide inmates with privacy keys, includes the category 'A' men's prison of Long Lartin, in Worcestershire.

Last night the MoJ confirmed that every prisoner on the site has their own cell key, other than those who have been segregated or are undergoing treatment on the hospital wing.

Among its most high profile inmates include Huntley, who was convicted of the murder of 10-year-old Cambridgeshire schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Watkins, who was given a 35 year sentence for a string of child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby, was recently moved to Long Lartin, which is also home to the Suffolk strangler Steve Wright and liquid bomb plotter Tanvir Hussain, who was found guilty of conspiracy to murder the crew and passengers of transatlantic flights.

Inmates at all female Low Newton prison, in Durham, where West is detained, and Gartree prison, in Leicestershire, which is home to Europe's largest population of lifers, also have their own privacy keys.

According to the MoJ privacy locks have been in use since 1991 and are now fitted as standard.

A spokeswoman said: "Governors have the authority to operate schemes in which prisoners may hold a 'privacy key' to their allocated cells as part of their local regime.