The killer of two 10-year-old English schoolgirls in 2002 was back in prison yesterday after his throat was slashed over the weekend by a fellow convict, officials and news reports said.

Ian Huntley, 36, was hospitalised after Sunday's incident at a high-security prison where he is serving a life sentence for the murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham town, in the east of England.

"A prisoner at HMP Frankland was assaulted by another prisoner at about 3.25 p.m. (1525 GMT) on Sunday," a Prison Service spokesman said, referring to the penitentiary in Country Durham, northeast England.

"The prisoner was taken to outside hospital for treatment but has now returned to prison."

News reports said Mr Huntley was found by prison staff lying in a pool of blood after his throat was slashed with a makeshift knife. A pre-scheduled search for weapons at Frankland prison was underway yesterday.

The August 2002 disappearance of Holly and Jessica sparked one of the biggest police operations ever in Britain, with a picture of the two friends in matching red Manchester United jerseys published around the world.

Mr Huntley, a school caretaker in Soham, was arrested after their bodies were found in nearby countryside. During his trial in 2003 he admitted being responsible for the deaths, but said it was an accident.

Mr Huntley was previously attacked in another prison in 2005 when an inmate threw boiling water at him. He has also tried to commit suicide on at least three occasions while behind bars.

Questions have been raised about safety at Frankland prison, where three prison officers were attacked by an inmate with a broken bottle last week.