An exhibition about the planned asylum centre near Bicester has been branded a "sham and PR stunt" by one protester.

The criticism came after Home Office representatives visited the two Oxfordshire villages at the centre of controversial Government plans to house 750 asylum seekers in a specially-built centre.

Residents from Arncott and Piddington were invited to view plans and ask questions at an exhibition set up in the local village halls.

But after Dionne Arrowsmith, of Bicester Action Group, viewed the exhibition and spoke to Government representatives, she called it a PR stunt.

She said: "They can't offer us any reassurance. They don't know anything, the whole thing is a sham. They've knocked up some pretty maps, but it's not well thought out. "When I questioned representatives deeper they went into political speak and didn't answer. It's just a PR stunt."

Home Office officials are on a two-day visit to consult local people as part of the planning process, and provide more information about the scheme.

The Home Office has said the centre would be self-sufficient and not a financial burden on the

area.