A furious woman is demanding action as her partner locked up in jail is "begging for clean water" after supplies were contaminated with paint thinner.

Emily, who does not want to use her full name, said her partner of 10 years Wayne is in HMP Bullingdon near Bicester.

The mum-of-two from Southampton said the fumes from the water "burnt his nostrils".

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She claims inmates were not told about the problem until March 7, a week after Wayne claims he began enduring severe migraine and bouts of vomiting.

Prison officers are giving a two-litre bottle of water to each prisoner at the jail every day but Emily says the situation is unacceptable. 

She said: “Wayne kept complaining of pulling pains in his stomach and severe migraines and we thought it was just a bug.

“On Thursday the prison guards said the water was safe to drink, then an hour later Wayne was told not to drink the water or have a shower as it was contaminated with paint thinner.

“He and the other inmates were provided with the bottle of water but by Friday morning they were begging for clean water to drink.

“They can’t even use the toilet.”

Wayne has been jailed for a month for a driving offence and Emily hopes more than ever he will return home to Southampton soon.

She said: “When Wayne phoned me, I could hear prisoners in the back begging for water.

“The drinking water had an oil like substance on the surface.

“He was seen by a member of medical staff on Thursday, and they only gave him paracetamol.

“I am shocked."

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She added: "It is adding a lot of stress to my life. It makes me sick with worry. I shouldn’t have to worry about when Wayne will next be able to have a drink.”

“What’s happened can be life-threatening and the prison is not taking it seriously.

“No one is giving us a straight answer about this.”

It's understood prisoners are still able to shower in other areas.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Staff are working to urgently resolve an issue with the water supply impacting one wing at HMP Bullingdon.

"Bottled water is being provided to all affected prisoners in the meantime.”

The latest official figures from the Ministry of Justice show that the HMP Bullingdon is performing worse than it did before the pandemic.

The report shows the prison received a score of 49 per cent for the year to March 2023, meaning it had a "performance of concern" rating.

It was a fall from 68 per cent in 2019-20, the last year ratings were handed out.

The report bases its ratings on four main priority areas, security, training, drug and alcohol addictions, and readjustment to society.

The Prison Reform Trust said the latest reports on prison performance show the system is experiencing a "perfect storm" of rising prison population and poor working conditions.