One in 50 male offenders in prisons are self-identifying as transgender, according to a survey by the official jail watchdog, amid concerns inmates may be attempting to secure extra perks.

The figure, the first by the watchdog, suggests there are up to 1,500 transgender inmates among the 90,000 prisoners in England and Wales, more than ten times previous estimates, and at least four times the number in the general population.

Among offenders from traveller communities the number self-identifying as transgender or transsexual rose to one in ten inmates, according to the annual report by Peter Clarke, the chief inspector of prisons.

Transgender prisoners are entitled to shower alone, separate cells and can apply to switch between male and female jails. Earlier this year the Ministry of Justice created a "wing" for transgender prisoners to keep them away from other inmates.

Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers Association (POA) said there “would always be some trying to abuse the system” but it would not affect officers approach to treat transgender inamtes with respect and dignity.

Harry Fletcher, director of the Victims’ Rights Campaign, said he was convinced that “for some this is a total try-on” with the prospect of a more relaxed regime.

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Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures in November said there were 139 transgender prisoners in 44 jails. Of the 42 in women’s jails, 22 were men who identified as female, while in male prisons 92 of the 97 were men identifying as women.

The watchdog’s survey of 5,133 British prisoners found two per cent self identified as transgender or transexual, rising to 10 per cent of the 287 traveller offenders surveyed. Extrapolated across the prison service, this would mean about 1,500.

By contrast, the Government’s equalities office estimates as few as 0.5 per cent or 200,000 in the general population are transgender. And nationally just 5,000 transgender people have been issued with gender recognition certificates since they were accepted in new laws in 2004.

The report warned that “prisons were often unaware of the true number of gay, bisexual and other orientation prisoners in their population and the support for this group was often very limited.”

Asked if the comparatively high figures suggested it was being exploited by offenders, Mr Clarke said this had not been covered by the survey. But he added: “Sometimes we find the numbers of people identifying as transgender are higher in our survey than the prison will think.”

For those that did identify as transgender, he said inspectors had seen “considerable care paid to the requirements of transgender prisoners.”

The UK’s first prison unit for transgender inmates was opened this year at HMP Downview, a women’s jail in south London, initially catering for three prisoners with gender recognition certificates.

It followed the case of Karen White, a transgender prisoner, who sexually assaulted two women while on remand at New Hall jail in Wakefield. White, who was born male and now identifies as a woman, was described by a judge as a ‘predator’ who was a danger to women and children.

Karen White was convicted of Leeds Crown Court for rape, sexual assault and a stabbing credit: Ben Lack

The UK’s first prison unit for transgender inmates was opened this year at HMP Downview, a women’s jail in south London, initially catering for three prisoners with gender recognition certificates.

It followed the case of Karen White, a transgender prisoner, who sexually assaulted two women while on remand at New Hall jail in Wakefield. White, who was born male and now identifies as a woman, was described by a judge as a ‘predator’ who was a danger to women and children.

In his report, Mr Clarke warned thousands of prisoners including sex offenders were being released without proper checks on the they danger they posed to the public. Some sex offenders were also being released into inappropriate accommodation including budget hotels.

“Much remains to be done, particularly around prisoners who present a potentially high risk of harm to the public being released without a full risk assessment,” said his report.

An inmate's assessment should be regularly updated, he said, but sometimes there was no document at all or the paperwork was out of date.

He added that the response to the problem, which had been raised repeatedly, had been "poor".

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Mr Clarke also urged the Government to consider a full independent inquiry into the “scandal” of self-harm and suicides in prisons, which had increased in two thirds of the jails inspected over the past year.

“It’s no exaggeration to say it is a scandal,” said Mr Clarke. “People in the care of the state are dying unnecessarily in preventable circumstances.”

Violence had also increased in more than half the prisons inspected, much of which was linked to illegal drugs including the rising threat from the psychoactive “zombie” drug Spice. “Too often strategies to combat illicit drugs are inconsistent,” said Mr Clarke.

“The impact of new psychoactive substances was underestimated by the prison service. The response has been too slow.”

Mr Clarke said he would "never forget" the squalid conditions he encountered on a visit to Birmingham prison.

He recalled a blood-stained shower, which was littered with rat droppings.

Birmingham had the worst examples of living conditions, his report said, with cells "dirty, cramped and overcrowded".

Vulnerable prisoners were found living in squalid cells which were not fit for habitation.

"Rubbish was left lying around in bags and there were problems with fleas, cockroaches and rodents," the report said.

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One prisoner lived in a "filthy flooded cell" and the blood of another - who had self-harmed two days earlier - had not been cleaned from the floor.

Mr Clarke praised the "bravery" of prison staff, saying their work was "difficult, often dangerous, largely unseen by the public and, as a result, little understood".

The MoJ acknowledged its figures for transgender prisoners were an underestimate and did not include those who had gender recognition certificates. Any prisoner seeking to switch from male to female prisons had to apply to a board.

It said an extra £70 million was being spent on boosting safety, conditions and security. It also said it had improved its "risk assessment and sentencing planning processes" and high-risk prisoners were subject to "various strict risk assessments".

It also said it had improved the provision of mental health support and trained staff on how to care for inmates at risk of self-harm.