Staff are counting up the costs at Campsfield House immigration detention centre after detainees ran riot and started a fire.

About 60 detainees were moved to other detention centres, including Yarl's Wood in Bedfordshire, on Wednesday night.

Anti-Campsfield campaigners claim the revolt at the centre, in Kidlington, was sparked when an Algerian detainee was removed from his room for deportation. Police are investigating the fire as suspected arson.

A former member of staff, in his 20s, who asked not to be named, praised former colleagues who he said tried to tackle the fire at the centre at 6.30am on Wednesday, before firefighters arrived.

He said: "They kicked windows out and tried to tackle the fire themselves.

"I spoke to one of the seven members of staff who needed hospital treatment and he told me that there has been serious damage to blue block and yellow block and the library has been destroyed.

"Only about 30 detainees kicked off, but it will cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to put the damage right.

"The ironic thing is that the GEO group that runs the site has been getting detainees to paint internal areas and blue block has only just been painted."

The former worker claimed that more than 190 detainees were housed in an area which mean for 130 and that it was not 'fit for purpose'.

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Evan Harris said: "There will need to be an investigation of why there has been yet another serious disturbance at Campsfield House, which has been a subject of a number of critical reports by successive chief inspectors of prisons."

Dr Harris, a member of the House of Commons select committee on human rights, added: "My select committee is already conducting an inquiry into detention of failed asylum seekers, following concerns about physical abuse during removals.

"The Home Secretary himself a few years ago declared that Campsfield House was not appropriate for the 21st century, but then of course the Government decided to keep it open anyway. They will need to look at that question again."

Home Office spokesman Stuart Green could not say how much repairs would cost.

He added: "While repairs are taking place, about 60 detainees have been moved to other centres, but the total number of detainees at Campsfield will return to normal in due course.

"Following a disturbance at Harmondsworth, retired civil servant Robert Whalley carried out an independent inquiry and it's perfectly plausible that the same could happen regarding this incident."

The Home Office later confirmed that Mr Whalley's investigation would be extended to the Campsfield incident.

Bill MacKeith, of the Campaign to Close Campsfield, said: "The detainees' actions are entirely understandable.

"They're usually ignored and often have no other way of making their voice heard against the racist and unfair system which abuses them."