The Conservatives have hit out at plans to issue heroin injection kits to prisoners in Scottish jails.

The prison service north of the border has announced the controversial on-demand system in order to combat the spread of deadly diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV.

Under the plan inmates in Scots jails will be given clean syringes and swabs on a "no questions asked" basis.

But critics say it is a fresh signal that the prisons drugs crisis is out of control.

Eight in 10 of those jailed in Scotland are thought to be on drugs, with 40 per cent using heroin.

Heavy fire

The plan has come under heavy fire from opposition parties and unions representing prison officers.

Scottish Conservative justice spokeswoman said: "The public will find it a ludicrous situation that those sent to jail for committing crimes and taking drugs are helped to take more drugs when they get there."

Derek Turner, a spokesman for the Scottish Prison Officers Association, expressed some reservations about the plan.

"These needles could be used as weapons against members of staff and that is a concern, so anything like this would have to be very carefully controlled. We would want to know in advance what precautions were in place," he said.

"However, we recognise that we have to protect public health because if prisoners become infected with hepatitis or HIV that can be taken out of the prison into the wider public."