Disease scare at refugee centre

No one has fallen ill at the Oakington asylum centre

Spores which can cause the potentially fatal legionnaires' disease have been found at an immigration reception centre.

The bacteria were discovered during routine maintenance work at the Oakington centre in Cambridgeshire on 9 February.

The contamination was found in the water supplies used for washing in three of the 10 accommodation blocks.

The Home Office, which is responsible for the centre, has liaised with environmental health experts to have the system shut down and made safe.

The disease, a form of bacterial pneumonia, kills more than one in 10 people who contract it.

However, it is understood no-one has fallen ill at the former RAF barracks as a result of the disease.

The camp was converted into a centre for the rapid processing of asylum applications in March last year.