THE riot inside an Oxfordshire immigration detention centre was sparked by a row over search dogs entering cells.

A police helicopter and more than 200 prison officers, firefighters and police were sent to Campsfield House, in Langford Lane, Kidlington, on Saturday afternoon after fires and vandalism left inmates "fearing for their lives".

Speaking to us by phone, detainee Anthony Brown, 29, said tensions began simmering among Jamaican inmates at the 215-man detention centre on Thursday after Campsfield officers brought dogs into their accommodation.

He said one Jamaican complained about the dogs climbing on the detainees' bedding. The inmate was taken outside by prison officers and then moved to an isolation cell for two days.

Brown - who said he was an overstayer - added about nine Jamaican inmates were talking to a centre manager about the incident at midday on Saturday when they saw officers attempting to move the detainee who had been put in isolation.

He said this sparked the trouble and added: "They were very angry. Everyone rushed out of the building. I saw smoke, I heard smoke alarms and I heard glass smashing."

Brown said he was among 20 detainees who climbed on to the roof of a shop in the centre for 15 minutes to see what was going on, but denied this was a protest.

Later that day he was transferred to Colnbrook detention centre, near Heathrow, with about seven other detainees of varying nationalities, he said.

Baykal Suruk, of the Turkish Speaking Lawyers' Association, said: "We received a phone call from Turkish detainees saying a riot had started at about noon on Saturday.

"They said there was a huge fire and they were fearing for their lives. They were really, really worried.

"They said they had nothing to do with it and it all started because a detainee was put into an isolated cell and the other detainees were protesting about it.

"The detainees said the incident started during the lunch break when some Jamaican detainees walked into the canteen and started throwing plates and smashing windows."

No detainees escaped from the centre during the disturbance but two people were treated by paramedics for minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.

Last night, a Home Office spokesman said it did not know how much the incident would cost because there were ongoing fire and police investigations.

She added most of the damage had occurred in an activities room but refused to confirm who would pick up the bill for the emergency services.

GEO, the company which runs the centre, was unavailable for comment.