A riot broke out at Cumbria's only prison when a peaceful protest about a tobacco ban turned ugly.

Police are investigating the incident at HMP Haverigg which was only resolved when specialist riot cops were called in.

Cells were flooded, while sinks and TVs were trashed after it was announced to inmates that tobacco would no longer be sold, The Mirror has reported.

Damage is understood to have run into the hundreds of thousands according to prison sources.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “Specially-trained prison staff successfully resolved an incident at HMP Haverigg on 22 August.

“There were no injuries to staff or prisoners.

“We do not tolerate violence in our prisons, and are clear that those responsible will be referred to the police and could spend longer behind bars.”

The trouble broke out in the prison’s Langdale wing.

A source told The Mirror : “The protest turned violent and the whole place went up.

“Inmates were smashing up cells, flooding them, throwing TVs, breaking up pool tables.

“Staff were forced to evacuate the wing, which was left looking like a bomb had hit it.”

Trouble erupted at 7pm and went on until 4am on Wednesday when prison chiefs called in Tornado Teams to quell the unrest.

They tackled a group of 24 inmates – deemed to be the main ringleaders – who were then taken to other jails.

A further 50 inmates were later transferred to prisons in Liverpool and Birmingham.

Glyn Travis of the Prison Officers Association, said prison chiefs had been given “ten years” to address the smoking ban but had failed to act properly.

He added: “Now this ban is being rushed into prisons already overcrowded and volatile. It is a lethal cocktail and could lead to more violence and riots.”

HMP Haverigg holds 286 Category C and Category D male prisoners.

Mr Travis said: “Haverigg is the one that has had the biggest reaction to date to the smoking ban.

“We are not even a quarter of the way through the process yet so this will be repeated as more prisoners are being forced to give up smoking, which also limit their access to drugs.

“No Category A prison has gone smoke free yet. There are longer-serving prisoners here and the reality is the reaction will be worse.”

A ban on smoking in prisons is being introduced as part of the governments ban on smoking in public and work places.

Similar unrest has been sparked at others jails where the rule has been implemented.

Earlier this year, a leaked HM Prison Service (HMPS) document revealed a total smoking ban is set to be imposed in all high security and long-term prisons in England and Wales from August 31st.