A prison inmate was found covered in blood and barely conscious after cutting off his own penis and trying to flush it down the toilet.

Wardens called in paramedics to treat the man in his 40s, who has not been named, and they worked to stem the bleeding before rushing him to hospital.

The incident happened at HMP Bristol at around 10am last Friday.

Rushed to hospital: A prison inmate at HMP Bristol (pictured) was found covered in blood and barely conscious after cutting off his own penis and trying to flush it down the toilet

The Prison Service said the injury was self-inflicted and no other inmates were involved.

A spokesman said: 'A prisoner from HMP Bristol suffered injuries during an incident on Friday..

'Paramedics were called and the offender was taken to hospital for further treatment.'

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said they treated the man at the jail before taking him to Southmead Hospital.

It is unclear at this stage whether doctors were able to reattach the man's penis.

It is not the first time such an incident has happened at Bristol Prison.

In November 2007, another inmate mutilated himself and tried to cut off his penis using a prison-issue razor.

He suffered deep laceration wounds and was found by wardens and taken to hospital.

Bristol Prison is a category B jail with around 600 adult male prisoners and a limited number of young offenders, both convicted and remand, from local courts.

Emergency medical help: The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said they treated the man at the jail before taking him to Southmead Hospital in Bristol (pictured)

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said a reduction of staffing levels was causing problems for already overstretched prisons.

She said: 'The trust is concerned about rising levels of violence and self-harm incidents across the prison estates and the drastic reductions in the number of staff.

'Prisons hold a number of people with complex needs, some of whom could be diverted at police stations or courts into the treatment they need.

'For those who have to be in custody I think more could be done for them.'

A report by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons in February said more than a quarter of prisoners at HMP Bristol had reported mental health problems and that there were 'significant limitations' on resources the prison had to meet those needs.