The government yesterday announced plans to build three "asylum villages" in the areas of Bicester in Oxfordshire, RAF Newton in Nottinghamshire and Throckmorton in Worcestershire.

If successful the government could build up to 15 similar centres across the UK.

But the plans have been met with fierce opposition by local residents, who claim that the areas have little to offer asylum seekers.

The announcement came as the French government returned a squad of 50 special police officers to guard the entrance to the Channel Tunnel as refugees continue their efforts to cross into Britain.