A prisoner has gouged out his own eyes in protest at the hot conditions inside his jail cell, it has been revealed.

The man in his 50s is said to have self-inflicted the injuries at HMP Nottingham just days before he was due to be released.

The incident occurred as inmates were protesting about the sweltering heat inside their cells and general poor conditions of the prison.

East Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed they were called to the prison in Sherwood on 21 July to treat a male patient. He was then taken to the Queen's Medical centre for his injuries.

Police were also called to the scene but established that "no crime had taken place".

A source inside the jail told the Nottingham Post: "Somebody cut their eyes out of their face. He was protesting.

"The heat is so high. Prisoners can't deal with it. They need to let some air in the room. It is only going to get worse."

The incident took place as temperatures hit around 25C (77F) in Nottinghamshire.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "A prisoner at HMP Nottingham was taken to hospital following an act of self-harm. Staff reacted quickly and paramedics attended. No other prisoners were involved.

"The prison is investigating the incident and police were informed as a matter of course."

The incident occurred a few months after more than 20 prisoners refused to return to their cells during a separate protest on conditions inside the prison.

Asst secretary Glyn Travis from the Prison Officers Association said the demonstration raised "serious concerns" about the staffing levels at the prison.

A report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) was also critical of the prison saying budget cuts and the loss of 140 officers would result in "more prisoner disruption and a further reduction in already low staff morale".