Campaigners have criticised the Archbishop of Canterbury for saying asylum seekers should be detained until it was clear they pose no danger.

Dr Rowan Williams told the Sunday Times he believed it was reasonable to lock up asylum seekers in secure accommodation as long as applications were processed faster than at present.

The idea, proposed by the Conservatives, has already been rejected by Home Secretary David Blunkett as impractical.

It's a very unsafe world and there's no way around that Dr Rowan Williams

But refugee and civil liberties group have criticised Dr Williams's comments as "unhelpful" and "impractical".

The charity Refugee Action said it was shocked by his comments.

Spokesman Leigh Daynes said: "Detention could lead to even more problems in the future in integrating them in to communities precisely because they have been locked away.

Informed debate

"Such comments are very unhelpful and what we need is our politicians and religious leaders to take part in informed debate based on fact."

Roger Bingham, of human rights group Liberty, said: "This is not a suggestion that's going to tackle any of the problems of asylum, terrorism or racism.

"I do not see it as a sensible or practicable proposal."

Campaigners say detention is impractical

Dr Michael Wilks, the British Medical Association representative on the Asylum Coalition, added his criticism.

"It is inhumane to lock these people up, many of whom have been victims of torture," he said.

A Home Office spokeswoman said detention centres were used where necessary but it was not practical to detain everyone.

Dr Williams said any responsible government had to be serious about security - which meant holding asylum seekers in secure accommodation would be acceptable, provided their applications were processed properly.

Security vetting

The archbishop said those who posed a threat were a minority among vulnerable people, but even one getting through was too many.

Last week, the Tories signalled a commitment to vast new spending on Britain's asylum system to make it less vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists.

Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said all asylum seekers should be housed in secure centres until vetted by MI5 and MI6.

Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin welcomed the archbishop's comments saying they gave "the lie to anybody that suggests that the Conservatives' position is extreme or inhuman".

The Tories suggested tougher detention measures

"When an archbishop noted for his liberal views agrees with the Conservative policy for the safety of the public at a time of national emergency, the security vetting of asylum seekers should take place in secure accommodation, who can any longer doubt that this is in the national interest?

"It is time for David Blunkett and Tony Blair to think again and fast."

Dr Williams warned that without adequate preparation among local communities and other support, an influx of asylum seekers could be seen as a "foreign presence", stirring racism.

He said secure accommodation was acceptable to help prevent the entry of terrorists disguised as asylum seekers.

But he added: "We are in danger of not providing the resources to process in a way that doesn't mean we have people locked up in hermetically sealed compartments for an indefinite period."

Anti-war message

The archbishop also reiterated his anti-war stance saying it would cause a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Iraq.

Dr Williams told the Sunday Times he had counselled Mr Blair in private and would continue to do so if there was a war.

He said the situation in Iraq was fragile and desperate - with high infant mortality and malnourishment - and he would continue to question whether military action was the answer.

And as for the possibility of a church marriage for the Prince of Wales he said under a new policy of remarrying divorced people, it would still be possible to say no to Prince Charles.