Yarl's Wood: Three held after detention centre riot escape

A riot at Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire saw 13 people flee the unit

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of escaping an immigration removal centre after a riot in which 13 people fled.

The men escaped from Yarl's Wood, near Bedford, on Friday.

Five were detained by police shortly afterwards. Of the eight remaining, police have since made three arrests in London and west Yorkshire.

Bedfordshire Police said a further three men had been arrested for offences connected to the escape.

The force said all the men who escaped had convictions related to illegal drugs.

Officers said they seized significant amounts of drugs and cash as part of their inquiries in London.

Some 13 people were able to break through the centre's perimeter fence on Friday night.

The eight who evaded recapture - seven in their 20s and one in their 30s - were from Albania.

It is understood the escapees had help getting out of the centre from people outside.

Serco, which runs Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre, said control was re-established at the site just north of Bedford

Det Supt William Hodgkinson, said: "This is a serious crime and is being treated as such by our officers and those in law enforcement across the country.

"I would urge anyone involved in this to strongly consider handing themselves in.

"This would be in their best interests to mitigate the kind of serious criminal sanctions we will look to impose on them when we catch them."

Yarl's Wood, in Milton Ernest near Bedford, is an immigration removal centre where people with disputed immigration status can be detained without a defined time limit.

It has been run by Serco since 2007.