DRONES were declared a “national security threat” as the Prison Officers’ Association demanded the government “get their act together” to stop weapons being smuggled into prisons.

POA national chair Mark Fairhurst told union delegates on the first day of their conference in Eastbourne that “lock-knives and machetes” had been found inside HMP estates across the country.

Mr Fairhurst said: “There’s only one way [these weapons] can get in. And that’s through drone delivery.

“Solutions with 100 per cent success rate” exist to curb deliveries of illicit items via drone, he added.

He said His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) “will not be going to give us the technology because it’s been around for years and we still haven’t bought or installed it.”

Despite some drones being able to carry up to 100kg, “still the employer dithers and delays and makes excuses.

“They need to get their act together. This is now a national security threat.”