Thames Water warns asylum seekers will face insects and strong smells due to nearby sewage pumping station

The proposed accommodation would be a mere 20 metres from the sewage station, Thames Water warned.

The Government had been eyeing up the chance to expand the removal centre by 40 per cent – but have hit several obstacles in the process.

One of the managers at the company warned the proximity could increase “amenity effects, including odour, noise, vibration, lighting associated with maintenance activities, insects and flies”.

A previous warning further stressed that any development may even trigger sewage flooding at the site, which is also next door to a police training centre.

The Prison Service training facility in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, is home to two key training groups, including the canine centre.

Ally Swadling, of the charity Right to Remain, told The Guardian that the concerns raised by the firm revealed the Government’s “little regard” to human rights.

She said: “Thames Water’s concerns about sewage infrastructure at Campsfield show how little regard is being given to even the most basic standards of sanitation and human dignity.

“They reinforce what we already know – this government is putting its political priorities above people’s lives and wellbeing.”

The detention centre re-opened last December after it was shut down in 2018 over mounting issues – from inmate riots and escaping residents to suicides.

But, now, the Home Office wants to boost the capacity from 160 residents to 400.

Oxfordshire County Council has objected to the expansion of Campsfield House amid growing calls for the centre’s permanent closure.

A public inquiry will be held on December 14 to decide the fate of the planned expansion.

Earlier this year, they announced interest in adding more beds to Campsfield House, with a previously revealed document admitting related issues were complicated.

“The application has generated considerable local interest; some of the issues raised are complex and the evidence would benefit from formal cross-examination,” it said.

A Home Office spokesman previously said: “All Crown Development planning applications require extensive engagement, and a public inquiry of this kind is a standard part of the process.

“We encourage residents and stakeholders to share their views through the formal process.”

Since the election, the spokesman boasted, Labour had “returned or deported over 80,000 individuals, including 11,733 foreign national offenders”.

The site, which has been described as an “appalling” place, was credited as part of the wider effort to “continue ramping up these removals”.