Should Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre close?

Protestors at Yarl's Wood immigration centre in Bedfordshire

Yarl's Wood has caused controversy since it was opened in 2001. The immigration removal centre has been criticised for its treatment of female detainees before, but it is now a "place of national concern" according to the prisons' watchdog.

HM inspector of prisons found worse health care than that recorded in the last inspection, too many male staff and pregnant women being held there - which is against Home Office guidelines.

In a new report, the Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said the site is "of national concern" and a change in policy is needed to tackle problems there.

Mr Hardwick said conditions inside the centre had deteriorated since the last inspection two years ago.

"We saw a population of women who were even more vulnerable... Concerns from last time had not been addressed, like staffing and health care.

"Some of the things needed to manage levels of distress and vulnerability weren't in place.

"We were disappointed that some critical things hadn't been done," he said.

Yarl's Wood holds more than 350 detainees, mainly women, who are waiting to be granted asylum or to be deported.

The centre, near Bedford, is regularly the target of protests. Just last weekend several hundred people held a march there calling for it to be closed.

The Home Office says it is extremely disappointed at some of the findings. In a statement it said that it wanted to see standards there improve.

The home secretary has already ordered a review into welfare at detention centres like Yarl's Wood.

The inspection found almost 100 pregnant women had been detained in Yarl's Wood, against government advice, while staffing levels were far too low and training and health care were both poor.

Mr Hardwick is calling for a change in government policy of detainees.

He said: "Women should not be detained indefinitely. There should be strict time limits and the most vulnerable should only be detained in the most exceptional circumstances... Managers in the Home Office need to be accountable for this.

"We are not talking about people who have committed an offence. They are there on the say-so of a civil servant."