The report adds to concern about the detention of children

Anne Owers' call is made in a report on the Dungavel detention centre in Lanarkshire, the only such centre in Britain where children are regularly held for long periods.

Opposition politicians and churches in Scotland have demanded the closure of the 62-bed family unit at Dungavel.

The report has been published just over a week after the deportation of the Ay family - a mother and her four children - who were kept at Dungavel for more than a year.

In it, Ms Owers states: "The detention of children should be an exceptional measure and should not exceed a very short period - no more than a matter of days.

It is regrettable that any families with children have to be detained at all but it is sadly the actions of the adults in the family that make this necessary Hazel Blears Home Office minister

"The welfare and development of children is likely to be compromised by detention, however humane the provisions, and that will increase the longer detention is maintained."

Independent assessors should be used to decide if children should be detained, she said.

Inspectors found that families were locked in the family unit and had to ask to be let out to visit the centre's shop. There was limited access to outdoor play areas for children.

Officials from HM Inspectorate of Education revisited the former jail last month and repeated their view that facilities for school-age children were "unsatisfactory".

'Shunted' around UK

The privately-run centre holds up to 148 failed asylum seekers and other immigration detainees.

The report refers to detainees being "shunted up and down the country".

One family with small children was brought 400 miles in a van from London only to spend one night at Dungavel before being sent back via an overnight stop in Manchester to another base just 43 miles from where they began.

The four Ay children were at Dungavel for more than a year

Only 15% of those interviewed said they felt safe at Dungavel. The report says this is an "unavoidable aspect" of their situation and does not reflect on staff, who are praised for their conscientious and friendly attitudes.

A spokesman for Premier Detention Services, which operates Dungavel, welcomed Ms Owers' comments about the staff's attitudes.

"We will continue to strive to provide the highest possible standards of care and respect for those people who are admitted to Dungavel."

Home Office minister Hazel Blears responded: "It is regrettable that any families with children have to be detained at all but it is sadly the actions of the adults in the family that make this necessary."

However, she said the government was willing to listen to any other "workable solutions".

Family unit

The Scottish National Party has repeated its demand for children held at Dungavel to be freed immediately.

John Mone, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Paisley, said he would continue to campaign for the closure of the family unit.

He said he was pleased with the report, but did not think it went far enough in condemning the detention of children.

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"We need to use words like 'disgraceful' rather than 'inappropriate'," he said.

Concerns have also been voiced that the report was not released until after the Ay family had been deported - almost a year after the inspection visit.

Ms Owers said: "The main reason for the delay in the report was that we were given the power to inspect immigration removal centres but no resources to do it.

"Everything that was said by the detainees and everything we found had to be translated and interpreted. I had a small team working on it. It has taken a long while.