The showpiece centre has already attracted protests

Lord Rooker, Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, said at the time of the centre's opening: "Yarl's Wood offers decent facilities in a pleasant environment for people that it is necessary to detain."

The total capital cost for the building of detention centres at Yarl's Wood, Harmondsworth and Dungavel was �140m.

Each of the buildings in Yarl's Wood has eight prayer rooms, 10 classrooms, association rooms and shops selling a variety of goods.

The bedrooms resemble student halls or youth hostels - two beds and a bathroom and shower per room.

Centre protests

Family units are made up of two bedrooms.

The doors are not locked and people could move around freely - although in the mixed block the men cannot go into the female or family areas.

People can go out into the courtyards and they do have access to legal help and they can receive visitors.

The centre has already been affected by controversy with civil liberties protests at its opening.

There have also been candlelit vigils for ethnic Albanian hunger striker Gjevat Cerkini.