Scottish prison riot not the first

LOTHIAN, Scotland, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Scotland's privately run Addiewell Prison has been the site of another riot by prisoners, authorities say.

Authorities said about 70 prisoners started fires and hurled objects, including billiard balls, when they took over a wing of the prison during a more than 3-hour melee Monday afternoon, The Scotsman reported.

The Edinburgh newspaper said the riot was the latest of several at the prison and prompted a full emergency response from police and other emergency crews.

The trouble started about 4:30 p.m. when inmates used snooker balls as weapons and started several small fires. About 7:45 p.m. the inmates were surrounded and police regained control. There were no injuries reported.

"I'm not aware of why particular individuals decided to behave in a criminal manner, but that is something that will be investigated," s spokesman for the Scottish Prison service told The Scotsman. "It is not appropriate for me to speculate on what the reasons are."