Four new asylum sites to be named

Asylum-seekers are expected to be at the centre of yet more political controversy this week when the Government reveals the locations of up to four new accommodation centres to house up to 3,000 immigrants.

The announcement by Beverley Hughes, the minister for citizenship and immigration, will coincide with the publication of new figures expected to show the number of people seeking political asylum in Britain has reached record levels.

The Home Office is also expected to unveil plans for a scaled-down version of the larger centres, which can hold 750 people. This is aimed at placating locals fiercely opposed to asylum-seekers living close to them.

Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, has already announced measures to discourage asylum-seekers from coming to Britain. His target is to halve the number of asylum-seekers entering the country by September 2003.

The increase in applications is a drain on the Home Office's budget. David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, has been told by the Treasury that he must deal with the problem out of the budget already allocated to him.

Ministers have already consulted planners on two sites – Bicester in Oxfordshire, and RAF Newton in Nottinghamshire. The shortlist for remaining sites includes the Isle of Portland, Air West, a former RAF base near Edinburgh, Sully Hospital in Glamorgan, and Hemswell Cliff in Lincolnshire.

A Home Office source said: "We are trying to keep the public informed and will be outlining further proposals shortly."