THE COLLAPSE of Carillion, which has gone into liquidation, leaves HMP Isle of Wight without one of their major contractors.

Carillion worked in partnership with HM's Prison and Probation Service, employing staff to deliver facility management services to the prison estate.

The firm ran into trouble after running up huge debts of around £1.5 billion. It went into liquidation after talks between the company, its lenders and the government failed to reach a deal to save it.

The failure of the UK's second biggest construction company means the government is having to provide funding to maintain the public services.

Carillion maintains approximately half the UK's prisons.

At HMP Isle of Wight, Carillion is believed to manage the delivery of several services on site, including mechanical and engineering, grounds maintenance, and pest control.

It was also the Ministry of Justice's contractor responsible for maintaining the roads of the prison estate, which residents have claimed for years has not been maintained sufficiently.

The guidance from the Ministry of Justice is that prisons will continue to run as routine, and any maintenance will continue. Prisons should be continuing to operate without any change.

David Lidington MP, minister for the Cabinet Office, announced the government will continue to deliver all public sector services and provide the necessary funding following the insolvency of Carillion.

He said: "We understand that some members of the public will be concerned by recent news reports. All employees should keep coming to work, you will continue to get paid. Staff engaged on public sector contracts still have important work to do."

Those already receiving their pensions will continue to receive payment.

After years of maintenance neglect on the Island's prison estate, see what one resident had to say about Carillion in an exclusive interview in this week's County Press.