Czech asylum seekers deported

The chartered flight returned 48 failed asylum seekers

A group of 48 immigrants was deported from the UK back to the Czech Republic in front of the media on Friday.

The group - including about 12 children - was put on a chartered plane at Stansted airport in Essex.

A television crew and photographers were invited to cover the Immigration Service exercise by the Home Office.

Plans to publicise removals of asylum seekers attracted criticism when they were leaked earlier this year.

About 12 children were on the flight

About half of those deported on Friday have spent their time in the UK in detention centres, while the others were given temporary leave to stay.

Some of the deportees, including a nine-year-old girl, hid their faces as they walked up to the plane.

A middle-aged woman stood on the steps and smiled and waved ironically.

The exercise involved about 20 Immigration Service officials and security guards from a private firm.

Critics have described the televising of deportation flights as a "gimmick".

Liberal home affairs spokesman Simon Hughes said earlier this year it was a "distasteful stunt".

Czech broadcast

However, the Home Office hopes the footage will win it support among the UK public for its asylum policy.

The scenes may also be broadcast in the Czech Republic, where they could deter people from seeking asylum in the UK.

Roma (gypsies) have long complained of widespread discrimination in the Czech Republic, but many have also openly admitted they are travelling to the UK for economic reasons.

During 2001, 895 asylum applications from Czechs were considered and all but five refused.

UK immigration officials are posted at Prague airport periodically, to vet people getting on planes to London.

This week, Home Secretary David Blunkett admitted the government would not reach its target to remove 30,000 failed asylum seekers a year.