A letter writing campaign has been started to persuade the Government to think again over the proposed Bicester asylum centre.

Tony Baldry, MP for Bicester, has written to Des Browne, the minister for immigration, urging him to reconsider the planned 750-person accommodation centre in Bicester, on land between Arncott and Piddington.

The Bicester Action Group is in the process of sending out letters to Home Office ministers calling for the Government to change its plans to smaller community-based accommodation.

The campaign began after Cherwell district councillors decided not to go to the House of Lords after they lost an appeal over the building of the centre.

In his letter, Mr Baldry stated: "Accommodation centres of this scale are totally inappropriate for the needs of asylum seekers.

"Similar experiences in Europe show that asylum seekers become very isolated and institutionalised and if they are given leave to stay, they have great difficulty integrating."

Mr Baldry said residents of the centre were likely to abscond, which would result in contractors being paid for 'ghost' asylum seekers not actually staying at the centre.

He said it would be easy for anyone who believed their application would be turned down to disappear, since they would be able to leave the centre on free buses to Bicester and Oxford. To prevent this from happening, the accommodation centre would become a virtual prison and police might even be asked to patrol railway and bus stations and service areas on the M40, he said.

Mr Baldry has also defended Bicester residents opposed to the asylum centre.

He said: "As was evidenced at the public inquiry, my constituents from a wide range of backgrounds, concerns and philosophical approaches to this matter, put forward very cogent and compelling arguments to the inspector why on planning grounds, let alone on wider policy grounds, this centre should not go ahead."

He asked ministers to clarify what they wanted from the asylum centre before it was built.

Dionne Arrowsmith, of Bicester Action Group said: "We fully endorse Mr Baldry's letter and we are writing similar letters to lobby the Government over the asylum centre.

"We still have time on our hands to try and change their minds.

"There are lots of unanswered questions, especially about the future viability of the centre and its cost effectiveness."