Detainees are kept in by barbed wire at Dungavel

Lawyers acting on behalf of Fatima Muse said she had her state weekly allowance removed after she hid the food to feed her two young children.

Fatima Muse, 33, is alleged to have had her �3.50 a week allowance stopped following an incident at the centre in Lanarkshire last week.

Mrs Muse's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said several women were late for breakfast because they had spent the night tending to their sick children.

Food is not allowed to be consumed in rooms for health, safety and hygiene reasons, and there are adequate canteen facilities available Home Office spokesman

He said that initially they were all refused food, but the children were eventually fed.

Mrs Muse then smuggled some food into her room so she could feed her children aged one and two when they were hungry, rather than at set meal times.

Mr Anwar said she has since been then fined for having an unacceptable attitude towards staff and not taking responsibility for her children.

A Home Office spokesman said he was unable to comment on individual cases.

"The policy at Dungavel is that all detainees must be treated with respect and dignity," he said.

WHO ARE ASYLUM SEEKERS? Key facts about the people coming to the UK At-a-glance

"However, a good standard of behaviour is expected in return from detainees.

"Food is not allowed to be consumed in rooms for health, safety and hygiene reasons, and there are adequate canteen facilities available.

"Mothers can bottle feed their babies in rooms, and milk kitchens provided but there is no need for mothers to feed children in rooms."

Falkirk East MSP Michael Connarty, an opponent of the detention of children, said the situation proves Dungavel is being run like a prison rather than an immigration centre.

"The regime is proven to be inflexible, it's just not right for children and that's why it should not be used for keeping people with children in it," said Mr Connarty.

'Prison type regime'

"The flexibility of having a little child who wants to eat whenever they are hungry is obviously not fitted into a prison type regime.

"The penalty of taking away the small sum of money they are allowed each day is wrong to me and I can't see how they can justify it.

"They should find some flexible way of allowing the woman to feed her child whenever she happens to be hungry and that would be treating her with respect."