Asylum centre at Manston faces 'disorder and disease'

Inspector warns of danger from summer surge at facility

- LIZZIE DEARDEN

A migrant processing site at Manston in Kent will not be "able to cope" with rising small boat crossings and faces overcrowding, disorder and the spread of disease, a report has warned.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons found several asylum seekers had attempted to kill themselves at the facility, where guards had been "using force" against detainees without recording why. The watchdog warned that the Home Office was detaining children unlawfully and that staff were not spotting or helping vulnerable people, including women who had been raped.

Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, said that while Manston was functioning when it was "fairly empty" during his visit in February, he expected the situation to worsen. "I was not assured that if numbers increase, as they are expected to in the summer, the site will be able to cope much better than it did during the autumn," he added.

"This could lead to vulnerable children and families remaining on the site for too long, the risk of infectious disease spreading and an increased possibility of disorder. It must be an absolute priority for the Home Office to make sure that there are enough on-site staff and onward accommodation, so that migrants pass through Manston without delay."

The report said that without change, the site would not "be able to operate safely" when numbers increase and the overcrowding, unlawful detention, disease and disorder seen in October and November "could be repeated".