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The UK's largest and most high profile women's prison is "extremely difficult to run safely and effectively", with almost six out of 10 inmates feeling unsafe at some point, inspectors said.

Threats and intimidation from other prisoners at Holloway in north London were rife, with one inmate describing it as "a very scary place for a first-time prisoner".

Many of the problems were long-running and stemmed from badly designed residential units that made it hard for staff to see inmates, but there were also reports of inappropriate behaviour by male prison officers, the inspectors found.

Nigel Newcomen, deputy chief inspector of prisons, said managers and staff were hampered by the "unsafe and unsatisfactory design of the prison" and "the lack of strategic direction and effective operational management within the women's prison system in general".

"Unless both are confronted and dealt with, Holloway will continue to drain its managers and struggle to meet the needs of the women it holds," he said.

A total of 220 recommendations for improvement were made after the full unannounced inspection of the prison, which holds about 450 women, in April.

Michael Spurr, chief executive officer of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), said: "Holloway presents a challenging physical environment, but staff work extremely hard to provide as extensive a regime as possible."

Inspectors found 57% of women said they had felt unsafe in the prison, with bullying consistently raised as a concern, limited intervention by staff, and inmates having little confidence that these issues would be dealt with effectively if reported.

While relationships between staff and prisoners were generally good, some inmates "reported unwanted attention from male staff", including concerns about "male night staff observing them through hatches", the inspectors said.

There was an average of 35 incidents of self-harm every week - five a day - but the prison was praised for having no self-inflicted deaths since 2007, adding that there had been considerable senior management investment in race relations, good drug services and "excellent continuity of care" for women with mental health problems.

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