NETTING around the outskirts of Dublin's Wheatfield prison to prevent contraband being thrown over the walls of the jail has not been in place for several months, resulting in a "free for all" of drugs and other contraband being cast into the prison.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) confirmed that netting at Wheatfield prison has been damaged but said it is due to be replaced.

"The IPS will shortly place a contract for the refurbishment and replacement of some of the netting in Wheatfield which was damaged following inclement weather some months ago. The cost of replacing the netting is unavailable at this time," said to a spokesman.

A prison source said inmates were taking advantage of the lack of netting in yard two of Wheatfield jail and regularly arrange for their associates to throw drugs and weapons over the wall "almost on a daily basis".

"It's a free for all. There's only so much we can do. We have caught some drugs and blades coming over the wall but we believe a lot more is getting through," said a source.

"We can't keep a constant guard around the area. It's been like this for months. It should have been fixed immediately.

"It's all well and good the prison service introducing all this fancy new technology to stop drugs and weapons getting in but they should also be able to replace something simple and straightforward like netting when needs be."

The prison service began rolling out a range of new security screening measures last year to help stem the flow of drugs, weapons and mobile phones coming into prisons.

More than half a million people were screened while visiting Irish prisons in the first three months of the year, and one of the most notable discoveries has been heroin contained in a Kinder egg centre concealed in a bra.