A suspected mould outbreak at the Co-Ed prison facility in St George’s is under investigation, with sources telling The Royal Gazette the situation is causing sickness for officers and inmates alike.

“The conditions are terrible — they have been working with one officer, and they’ve had officers out for three weeks with respiratory problems,” said a source who requested anonymity.

Describing the growths in the facility as an apparent black mould, the source added: “Prisoners down there are inhaling this stuff — it’s visible and you can smell it.”

Asked if the Department of Corrections had been apprised, the source said National Security Minister Michael Dunkley had been informed by letter last year.

“They have been aware of it and they have not done anything about it — it’s probably two years since it started, but it is just coming more to light because they are short with officers and inmates have to be locked down most days.

“Administration has been aware of it for a while now because officers have also written to complain about what is going on.”

Varieties of mould blooms are common in Bermuda’s humid climate.

However, certain varieties such as the dark-coloured Stachybotrys chartarum have been linked to respiratory complaints.

A National Security spokeswoman confirmed that Government had been looking into the problem — but cautioned that its exact cause hadn’t been identified yet.

“The Department of Corrections is fully aware of concerns about potential mould in a section of the Co-Ed facility, and is working in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Works to address the issue,” she said.

Prisons fall under the purview of National Security, but Public Works is tasked with cleaning out mould outbreaks in Government facilities.

“To be clear, it has not yet been verified that the area in question is actually affected by mould,” the spokeswoman said.

“We have acquired the services of a qualified vendor who has already tested the area for mould and we expect the results of those tests imminently, following which we shall take the necessary actions.”

Other precautions already taken include shifting staff out of the area in question.

Asked about staffing shortages and lockdowns, the spokeswoman said that lockdowns of Co-Ed inmates occur “from time to time for a number of reasons”.

“However, these lockdowns do not have any significant impact on the operations at the Co Ed and are kept to a minimum as far as possible,” she added.

“It should be pointed out that there are times when only one officer is in a particular section, for various reasons. This does not compromise nor diminish our security and safety, especially given the very low number of inmates currently incarcerated at the Co Ed facility.”