POLICE could be drafted into jails to keep prisoners under lock and key after prison officers today went on strike in a dispute over pay.

Their day of action at Winchester Prison and Parkhurst, Albany and Camp Hill prisons on the Isle of Wight comes despite the fact they are banned from taking industrial action.

It is believed that prisoners at the four prisons, which together cater for 2,325 category B and C inmates, are currently being kept in their cells.

A spokesman for Hampshire Police said they had not sent any police into prisons yet but would continue to monitor the situation.

She added: "We are getting in touch with all the prisons in the area because they are not sure how they are going to be affected."

Courts in Southampton were today badly affected by the prison officers' unofficial strike.

No defendants were brought from jails or remand centres leading to cases and sentences having to be adjourned for 24 hours.

The Crown Court dealt with matters involving defendants on bail and hearings which did not require defendants needing to attend.

Business at the county court went ahead as usual because no cases involved parties in custody.

The national day of strike action has affected 140 prisons across the country.

Around 10,000 prison staff, including those looking after some of the country's most dangerous criminals and sex offenders, are taking part.

Glyn Travis, assistant secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "Prison officers throughout England and Wales have started a minimum of one day's strike action, which started at 7am today."

No-one from the association was able to confirm whether the strike would continue tomorrow.

The Government has drawn up an emergency plan to deal with the threat of strike action after a majority of the Prison Officers' Association 28,000 members voted in favour of industrial action earlier this month.

Prison officers are angry at the pay deal they have been offered which they say would mean only receiving a 1.9 per cent pay rise.

They also say their job has become more dangerous because of the rise in the number of attacks on prison officers which they say have increased by 34 per cent since 2001.

The strike action over pay and conditions comes as the prison service has been ordered to reduce its budget by £60million next year.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said: ''We regret this action by the Prison Officers' Association, which is illegal and a breach of the Joint Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement.

"We will be seeking advice on our next step."

The Prison Service, a government department, is expected to take the Prison Officers' Association to court to get an injunction stopping the strike and preventing further industrial action.