Northern Ireland Maghaberry jail is on the brink of chaos, loyalist prisoners' representatives have warned.
A new body speaking for loyalists held at the Maghaberry complex claimed the situation was rapidly deteriorating after meeting prison chiefs in Belfast.
Mr Ken Wilkinson and Mr Frankie Gallagher of the Prisoners' Human Rights Group said they urged Director of Services, Mr Douglas Bain, to do more for inmates on separated cell blocks.
But concerns over access to resettlement schemes and education programmes were not properly addressed during talks at Stormont.
Mr Wilkinson said: "If nothing is done things will get worse and we will appeal to the [British] government to step in.
"Tensions in the prison are so high we believe it's ready to explode."
Prisoners affiliated to Northern Ireland's two main loyalist paramilitary organisations, the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force, were put into a separate jailhouse earlier this year amid security fears at Maghaberry.
The move followed a campaign of attacks on warders' homes. Dissident republicans demanding segregation also staged a dirty protest by smearing excrement inside their cells.
The new group insisted they represented all loyalist prisoners rather than paramilitaries.
But their criticisms were rejected by prison authorities.
It is understood staff were dismayed when hardly any inmates turned up after enrolling special education courses specially laid on.
A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Prison Service added that the concerns would be closely examined.
He said: "They raised a number of issues which Douglas took a note of.
"He told them he would raise with his colleagues and come back to them."