Only 50% of the original Yarl's Wood site remains

Boasting a sports hall, a prayer room for all faiths, a library and a reading room, the �80m building was specially built to house 900 people and was the biggest of its kind in Europe.

Yet within four months, half of the centre lay in ruins after it was burnt down during a riot.

Now, final preparations are being made for a new intake of detainees to be sent to the site.

As many as 60 single women will be the first to enter the removal centre, near Bedford, when it re-opens at the end of September.

The complex, which was not fitted with water sprinklers, suffered damage valued at �38m after the disturbances in February 2002.

Sprinklers fitted

But the remaining block is now almost ready to start housing new detainees in a "staged process".

Private security firm Group 4, operators of the centre, are preparing for their arrival, although the total insurance payout from the fire has still to be decided.

John Bates, spokesman for Group 4, said: "The centre is due to open at the end of September. In the first instance it will take up to 60 females.

"Part of the building was damaged by fire and this has been demolished and cleared.

"The remaining 50% of the site is standing and that will become Yarl's Wood 2.

The investigation is still ongoing and will feed into its considerations anything which comes out of the trials Home Office spokeswoman

"Sprinklers are being fitted and will be completed for the opening."

He said decisions on whether an internal investigation by Group 4 was needed had been halted by the trials of people accused of offences in connection with the fire.

However, Ed Blissett, who represents GMB union staff, said they had warned about the possibility of a riot.

He said: "The GMB had told Group 4 they did not have enough staff.

"We had also warned that there should be a sprinkler system in the building.

Police officers had to sift through rubble after the riot

"Certain of the detainees had been telling our members they were going to riot and set fire to the building.

"Sadly no precautions were taken. No extra staff were taken on and for that reason the tragedy occurred."

In all, 37 detainees fled from the centre during the chaos, in which keys were seized from guards and scores of CCTV cameras were smashed.

All but 12 were later recaptured. Of these, nine are believed to still be in Britain. The whereabouts of the remainder are unknown.

A Home Office spokeswoman said the centre's population will be increased by 400 in 2005, with another intake of 220 women and 180 families.

An independent report into the fire at the centre was taken over by Stephen Shaw, a former director of the Prison Reform Trust charity, in July.

The spokeswoman said: "The investigation is still ongoing and will feed into its considerations anything which comes out of the trials."

The flagship centre first opened in 2001, designed to hold 900 asylum seekers.

It was closed after the fire when Group 4 could not get insurance cover.