Number of EU citizens detained in UK rises almost a third after Brexit

Government changes that allow EU citizens who are rough sleepers to be deported blamed for the rise

The number of EU nationals detained in the UK has increased sixfold since 2009 (Getty)

The number of EU citizens being detained in the UK for alleged immigration offences has risen by almost a third since Brexit, official figures have revealed.

Home Office data showed 3,699 EU nationals were held in UK detention centres in 2016 – 1,000 more than in 2015.

The number is likely to rise further this year, with figures for the first quarter of 2017 showing a 19 per cent increase compared to the final quarter of last year.

The number of EU citizens being held in the UK has now increased more than six times over since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

The data was released by Brandon Lewis, the Immigration Minister, in response to a parliamentary question.

Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesperson, told The Guardian: “The Conservatives seem hell-bent on creating a hostile environment for anyone not from the UK.

“These scare tactics should be beneath any civilised government. It risks damaging our reputation abroad and will ultimately serve us badly in the negotiations with the EU.”

Experts said one of the main reasons for the rise is likely to be new regulations that allow immigration officials to deport EU nationals who are sleeping on the streets, even if they have not committed any crime and pose no threat to public safety.

It comes as the Home Office admitted mistakenly sending letters to 100 EU nationals in the UK telling them they faced deportation if they did not leave the country.

The letter told recipients they were “liable to be detained” for failing to provide evidence they had a right to remain in the UK under EU law.

The Home Office admitted the letters were issued “in error” and said it was “urgently” looking into how the mistake had been made.

The letter, signed by UK Visas and Immigration, stated: "A decision has been taken to remove you from the United Kingdom in accordance with section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999."

It continues: “You are therefore a person who is liable to be detained under paragraph 16 of Schedule 2 of the Immigration Act 1971.”