Wesley Snipes has requested he be allowed to serve his three-year prison sentence at a facility near his New Jersey home.

The Blade actor was handed the term by Florida judge Judge William Terrell Hodges after he was convicted of failing to file his taxes for five years.

His legal team have asked the judge and prison officials to house him in a federal prison as close to his home as possible - and officials have vowed to accommodate his wishes.

Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Felicia Ponce says: "We try to house inmates within 500 miles of their residence so they can maintain ties with their family and community."