Inspector Ian Noble said: “We work in partnership with the prison service and are determined to disrupt any attempts by individuals to throw items over walls into our prisons.

“We are vigilant at all times and would like to emphasise that we take action against individuals who are involved in this kind of behaviour and they run the risk of being jailed themselves.

“The security of prisons is of paramount importance and any attempts to breach this security will be treated extremely seriously. Anyone attempting to bring contraband into a prison will be dealt with robustly to identify, not only those outside of the prison but also those inmates who seek to bypass the law.”

Merseyside Police will continue to work closely with the prison service in identifying persons suspected of committing similar offences.

Anyone with information on suspected criminal activity is asked to contact the social media desk @MerPolCC, call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111. You can also use their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.