Prisoner caught with al Qaida magazine in North East jail

Prisoners in a high security jail in the region, along with those in London and Manchester, have been found with the banned terror group's publication over the past five years, according to the Ministry of Justice.

HMP Frankland, on the outskirts of Durham, was the North East prison where the publication was discovered in 2015.

The magazine formed part of the prisoners' defence paperwork, but possession of it could be a criminal offence and in each case it was removed.

The figures were released in response to a parliamentary question tabled by shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon.

They also show that in 2011, a prisoner at Belmarsh Prison in London was found with the terror magazine, while in 2012 and 2013 two prisoners at HMP Manchester were caught with it.

In 2013 an inmate at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes had it.

Responding to the question, justice minister Sam Gyimah said: "The possession or smuggling of material associated with a proscribed group may be an offence under section two of the Terrorism Act 2006 or under section 22 of the Offender Management Act 2007."

He added: "We will not tolerate extremist material in prisons and where found it is removed and, if appropriate, referred to the police."