THE final female prisoner has been discharged from Cookham Wood Prison.

The unit in Rochester is to become a Young Offenders Institute, with teenage boys arriving in January.

Around 160 women have been transferred to other prisons in the South East over the last few months.

On Monday, five inmates were left on site, four of these were transferred and the last was released at the end of a two-year sentence.

The woman, who did not want to be named, had been at Cookham Wood for a year. She said she feel honoured to be the last one to leave.

She added: "I am glad to be the last female inmate out of Cookham Wood as it ends a 30-year era as a women’s prison. But it’s a sad day as the prison has been like a home to many women."

Over the next two months the prison will undergo a huge refurbishment in time for the arrival of the new inmates, who will be aged 15 to 18.

New facilities will include an exercise yard, sports pitches, an education centre and a vocational skills centre. Around 30 to 40 new staff members will also be recruited.