The report says community fears are not necessarily racist

It suggests many problems could be overcome by properly consulting people about plans for new arrivals and explaining the reasons why they are coming.

The Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees in the UK (ICAR) also argues that asylum seekers should be encouraged to understand the community they are joining and to play a greater role in it.

Its director, Kirsteen Tait, told BBC News Online: "You can't expect local people to come out and make the effort if you don't expect asylum seekers to make the effort."

It based its findings on interviews in the Oxfordshire town of Bicester, where an asylum centre for 750 people is planned, and Leeds, where large numbers of Kosovan refugees have joined the city's population.

The report, called Understanding the Stranger, says the fears of residents are reflected in many other areas - as demonstrated by the recent riots in Wrexham.

'Cheated'

The report says the housing of asylum seekers and the facilities provided for them is an issue affecting whole communities - who must be treated with respect.

It says many people will have legitimate concerns, "fears which are not in themselves prejudiced or xenophobic".

If these are not addressed there is a danger that they will become entrenched and "exploited by tabloid newspapers and extremist political parties".

Many of those questioned for the study expressed the feeling that local people were "being cheated and being taken for a ride".

Crime levels

The report calls for clear information about the number of people due to arrive and the reasons for supporting them, as well as ongoing debate once they have been housed.

Many people expressed the fear that their community would be "overwhelmed", with knock-on effects on housing, health services, education, and crime levels.

Report recommendations Local communities must be consulted It is not racist to have concerns and fears Information campaigns needed to address fears Government must realise sudden decisions can be hard to accept Interaction should be encouraged National media should be balanced

It says: "Both in Bicester and in Leeds local people feel that asylum seekers have access to a quality of services, housing and healthcare that is denied to them, and that they are putting too great a strain on local services."

Cultural and religious differences were also highlighted.

"Community relations are being put at risk by a fear or failure to explain fairly simple matters," the report says.

"For example, in Leeds it appears that local people may want to know why asylum seekers wear leather jackets and have mobile phones."

The answer, according to Ms Tait, was that Leeds charity shops seemed to have lots of leather jackets and asylum seekers are unlikely to get a landline.

'Harmonious relations'

Turning to the asylum seekers themselves, ICAR suggested they should make more effort to understand the concerns of the community they have joined.

Asylum seekers 'should be encouraged to participate in the community'

They also needed to become more involved, using individual stories to explain their need to be away from their home country.

"Asylum seekers are naturally preoccupied with the fate of their asylum claims," the report says.

"But they nonetheless need to be educated about their local communities and learn that there are people in deprived and difficult circumstances in the UK, often living on the same estates."

Ms Tait said: "If local people, however much they may have resented the arrival of asylum seekers, get to meet the individuals they almost always react positively."

Finding a balance between the needs of asylum seekers and local people can be difficult, the report concludes.

But it suggests that with proper consultation and acknowledgement of people's concerns, "harmonious relations between local people and asylum seekers can be achieved".