Wellington women's prison escape foiled

Staff foiled an escape attempt by two prisoners from Arohata women's prison in Wellington yesterday.

The prisoners climbed onto a roof from the exercise yard, then climbed down and were spotted by kitchen staff hiding behind a shed, prison manager Ann Abraham said.

"To be honest I don't know why they bothered leaving the yard in the first place. They didn't have anywhere else to go," Ms Abraham said.

After going on the roof they would still have had to scale the six-metre high fence and get past the razor wire, she said.

They would now face disciplinary charges for the attempted escape, she said.

"This will likely result in them facing cell confinement and loss of privileges to think about the stupidity of their actions," Ms Abraham said.

- NZPA