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More than 130 asylum seekers who were moved to prisons after the unrest at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre are still in jails a month later.

A Home Office spokesperson said Harmondsworth was going to reopen "as quickly as possible" but failed to give a date. After the disturbance it said it would be closed for "weeks rather than months".

Around 440 detainees were moved from Harmondsworth, west London, in mid-July after a riot broke out when a man was found hanged. Lack of space at other detention centres meant the 131 detainees were placed in prisons across England and Wales.


Meanwhile, a study which looked at Home Office-funded projects helping refugees and asylum seekers settle in the UK found almost two thirds of the 404 interviewees identified housing as a priority for improvement.

It also reported that refugees were still severely disadvantaged compared to the rest of the population even two or three years after their arrival. 

- The Impact of Home Office Funded Services for Refugees from: www.homeoffice.gov.uk