Asylum seekers poured on to the roof of a controversial detention centre to join a protest by two Sikhs.

Campsfield House campaigners warned the uproar could be the first of many if the Government continued ixts policy of locking up illegal immigrants.

The demonstration started when the two Indian men climbed on to the roof to complain about their treatment.

They claimed they left India to escape persecution caused by their religious beliefs but, since arriving in the UK, they had been locked up - one for for 11 months and one for 15 months. The protest escalated later, when 20 more immigrants climbed on to the roof to support the Sikhs.

Bill MacKeith, of the Campaign to Close Campsfield, said: "Their complaint was that they have been held for over ten months and that the Government will only release them on bail with sureties of £10,000 each. This is a ludicrous restriction. "This protest shows that, with the continuing policy of detention and the opening of new detention centres, the shambles is going to turn into chaos and misery for many thousands more innocent people seeking protection."

David Dickinson, Group Four's director of Campsfield, said staff at the centre left the protesters up on the roof to make their point.

He added: "Our main concern was their safety. The emergency services were on standby, but they came down peacefully."

Story date: Tuesday 16 November

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