Campsfield House currently houses around 180 inmates

Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said detainees had endured journeys as long as 36 hours when transported to Campsfield House centre in Oxfordshire.

Ms Owers said action should be under taken to monitor and significantly reduce the problem.

The centre at Kidlington, near Oxford, holds up to 184 people.

The wholly unacceptable lengths of time spent in transit inevitably increase detainees' vulnerability Anne Owers

Ms Owers said: "We reviewed the escort records of a fifth of detainees.

"Five had had journeys of over 18 hours before reaching the centre with overnight stops at airports, one had been in transit for nearly 36 hours.

"Others had had lengthy journeys, sometimes at night. Many had been in over four different places of detention.

"These movements around the detention estate, and the wholly unacceptable lengths of time spent in transit, inevitably increase detainees' vulnerability and action should be taken to monitor and significantly reduce them."

She also criticised procedures for dealing with vulnerable detainees following a near fatality.

However, Ms Owers said there was improved supervision of detainees and good staff-detainee relationships at the centre.