Former prison officer Phil Sait had mixed emotions when she took the controls of a bulldozer to start the demolition of a dilapidated prison building that was once christened ‘Beirut’ by inmates.

Mrs Sait, 46, who lives in Bratton, won a charity raffle for the honour of helping demolish the much-criticised Wren Unit at Erlestoke Prison.

The raffle was in aid of two charities, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports the children of soldiers killed in action, and the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, who received £325 each.

Before the road accident that ended her career, Mrs Sait had worked on the unit and she has many fond memories of working there.

Referring to the demolition, she said: “It was quite a sad day, really.

“There were a lot of memories wrapped up in that building.

“I loved working there but it had to come down. It had had its day.”

Mrs Sait, who has three daughters, was forced to retire following a terrible crash on her motorbike four years ago as she rode to work from Bratton.

She said: “The prison were absolutely brilliant. They did fundraising for me and raised £1,700 for physio equipment, which I have now passed on to an MS sufferer.”

The Wren Unit was regularly criticised by the Independent Monitoring Board for the prison as being not fit for purpose.

Governor Andy Rogers has managed to get funding for its replacement, which is in the process of being contructed by contractors Keir Western.

One damning board report said the wing was known as Beirut by prisoners.

Mr Rogers said: “I am delighted that the work to demolish Wren Unit can now start in earnest and it is fitting that Phil was involved in its demolition as she worked on the unit for a few years.

“The replacement unit for Wren, Silbury Unit, will be opening in the summer.

“This will be a dedicated interventions unit, which will house 124 offenders, working to reduce their risk to the public through courses before their release into the community.

“Myself and Wren Unit share the same year of creation, so on a personal note it’s nice to outlast it.”

Wren Unit was constructed between 1968 and 1969 and commissioned in 1969.

It was decommissioned in August last year and the demolition should be completed in the next week or so.