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This distressing video allegedly shows the dehumanising effects of the super-strength drug Spice.

Filmed in Northumberland Prison on a smuggled mobile phone, two men can be seen stripped naked and restrained with dog leads inside a cell.

The inmates - said to be from Teesside - are believed to be under the influence of the psychoactive drug Spice, which can bring on frightening hallucinations.

The two men can then be seen headbutting, biting and clawing at each other as two clothed men laugh and cheer as they let them off the leash.

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) has described the clip as a “sad example of how Spice has taken over local prisons”.

A second video shows a separate inmate rolling around on the floor, clearly under the influence.

Glyn Travis, for the POA, said: “It is unfortunately a very, very serious but common problem and not just in private prisons like Northumberland, but in jails up and down the country.

“As sad as it is, this is the reality of life in prison.

“These shocking videos that people in normal society will find grossly offensive, are all too common in prisons although to hear that two men are being made to fight like dogs is very unusual.”

An HMP Northumberland spokesperson said: “Prisons are a challenging environment to manage and the safety of staff, prisoners and visitors remains a top priority.

“The use of mobile phones and drugs is a challenge across the whole prison estate and staff at HMP Northumberland work very hard to prevent these items getting into the prison.

“We have taken appropriate action in the prison in relation to both these incidents, and notified the police.”

Northumberland Prison is a private jail which houses inmates from across the North-east and is run by facilities management firm Sodexo, not the Ministry of Justice.

Teesside Live has previously reported how the drug is wreaking havoc in jails.

A 5.6kg smuggled Spice stash - worth an estimated £200,000 - was smuggled into Stockton’s Holme House cells last August, stuffed in cappuccino, Oats-so-Simple and Weetabix packets.

And last week it was claimed five workers at Kirklevington Prison needed medical help in a single day to deal with the effects of breathing in secondhand fumes from Spice.

The employees, including a 60-year-old prison officer, needed medical check-ups on Thursday.

Concerns have previously been raised about the substance causing prison officers serious health problems including hallucinations, fits and even suicidal thoughts.