A cross-party group of MPs warns today that Britain is increasingly unable to cope with the number of asylum seekers.

The Commons home affairs select committee says that the rise in asylum numbers to 110,700 last year is unsustainable.

"If allowed to continue unchecked, it could overwhelm the capacity of the receiving countries to cope, leading inevitably to social unrest," committee chairman Chris Mullin says.

"It could also, and there are signs this may already be happening, lead to a growing political backlash, which will in turn lead to the election of extremist parties with extremist solutions."

The committee also warned that removal targets set by ministers are wholly unrealistic.