Serial burglar Mark Collins has spoken of his two years of hell in Lewes jail.

Many prisoners make the same vow when breathing in their first gasps of freedom outside the prison walls - "Never again".

But Mr Collins, 36, of Woodingdean, Brighton, insists he means it when he says his last sentence will really be his last - after all, it nearly killed him.

Twice he tried to hang himself while serving time in the much-criticised prison.

He was driven to despair by constant homophobic abuse, lengthy stints in the jail's dingy segregation unit and filthy day-to-day living conditions.

He also went on a seven-day hunger strike in protest at allegations of sexual assault made against him - a police investigation later cleared him.

Mr Collins was so disgusted by his treatment and conditions he kept a daily diary of his time, some days scribbling down notes every ten minutes.

He has now been released on licence and has revealed his 100-page diary to The Argus.

Its contents make very different reading to the latest Board of Visitors' report on the prison published this week.

As The Argus reported, the board described Lewes as "a much safer, healthier and happier prison".

They reached this verdict despite criticising the still-horrific conditions of many cells at the Victorian jail.

The prison has suffered one of the highest suicide rates and drugs problems amongst inmates in the country.

Mr Collins was not surprised so many Lewes inmates felt compelled to harm themselves.

He said: "I have been in and out of prison for most of my adult life. I have done time in 16 different jails and Lewes is by far the worst, most disgusting, smelly and degrading of the lot.

"I wouldn't put a rat in some of the cells they have there."

He started his latest stint in Lewes in March 2000, after being sentenced to four years for a domestic burglary.

Within days, openly-gay Mr Collins found homophobic abuse scrawled in his cell.

He complained to prison staff hoping they would punish the perpetrators.

Instead, Mr Collins was put on Rule 45 - assigned to the living conditions reserved for sex offenders, the most reviled members of the prison community.

The sanction is notorious among prisoners. Once a convict has been labelled a Rule 45 candidate, he is marked for life.

What Mr Collins wanted was protection from the sickening abuse he claims he suffered from fellow prisoners and prison officers.

Instead, he was merely subjected to more taunts - cries of "nonce", sneers from inmates, their wives and children in the visiting room and threats of violence.

He said: "Once you've been put on Rule 45 you can never escape. I had to put up with living alongside sex offenders and child abusers for two years - me, a burglar!"

He said: "The cells are only cleaned once in a blue moon. The tin toilet was filthy, there were black burn marks and damp all along the walls."

Mr Collins also made regular complaints about the lack of exercise opportunities, the attitude of officers and the cold food on offer.

But by complaining he only won himself spells in the prison's segregation unit, which was even more grim.

He said: "The cells were caked in excrement and urine. It was so hot and stuffy inside but you could not open the window because the walls were even dirtier. Rotting pigeon carcasses would be lying in two or three inches of old water."

Prison governor Paul Carroll, who took over almost two years ago, has consistently declined to talk to The Argus and barred other prison staff from speaking to the Press.

Instead, all inquiries are directed to press officers based at the Prison Service's HQ in Whitehall.

A spokesman yesterday refused to discuss Mr Collins's experiences.

Mr Collins said: "I almost didn't make it. I never want to go through anything like that again."