SOUTH Dorset MP Jim Knight today ruled out the re-opening of the Weare prison ship to beat prison overcrowding.

He dismissed speculation that the controversial jail off Portland would be brought back into use to ease a crisis nationwide.

The Home Office has proposed the early release of thousands of prisoners to cope with overcrowding in the prison system.

But the Government is also to rush an extra 500 spaces into service to cope with the rapidly rising prison population. Mr Knight praised the decision to keep the Weare closed and hailed it as "the right decision to make".

He said: "In the end crime is falling in this country but still remains a problem, and if we are going to do anything to improve the situation we need to stop prisoners re-offending.

"The reason why it was closed is that it could not provide the training needed."

Mr Knight also expressed concerns over its suitability for housing prisoners. "There were other problems with the air conditioning and sewage on board the ship," he added.

A Home Office spokesman said that the Weare had been opened as a temporary measure in 1997 and a review had found that "substantial investment" would be needed to keep it open.

The spokesman declined to make any further comment on whether the ship would reopen.

Mr Knight added: "The cost of doing that would be relative to opening a new prison. We would always be battling against a lack of space."

He also said that he was still in discussions with the prisons' minister about sinking the ship and turning it into a divers' attraction.