A Winchester refugee worker says the Government is shirking its duty towards Iraqis fleeing their war-torn country.

Shirley Firth, from West End Terrace, in Winchester, who works with the Southampton charity, Refugee Action, has hit out at policies which make it difficult for asylum seekers to settle in the area.

She said home secretary David Blunkett's announcement about sending refugees to other parts of Europe was irresponsible and added that the reality of life for asylum seekers around Southampton was not easy.

"We ought to be a lot more lenient with Iraqi refugees," said Mrs Firth. "They should be given at least a temporary stay - Iraq will be a mess after this war.

"I think it's really a bit much to always be saying 'not in my backyard'. It's foisting responsibility onto someone else - which is particularly wrong in this case where we have initiated the action.

"We are making it very hard for people to get into this country. And refugees are not allowed to work. If they are given jobs, people will say they are taking our jobs away.

"So they hang around on the streets because they have nowhere to go, no centre. We have started collecting blankets because many of them sleep on the streets."

Workers at Refugee Action and Clear, another Southampton refugee charity, say they have already noticed a slight rise in the number of Iraqis coming into the area.

But Southampton City Council's asylum seeker project manager, Joan Ward, said she had not been asked to make extra provision for Iraqis coming into England.

"The Home Office hasn't issued any plans as yet," she said. "Their plan would be to contain people in the countries of the Gulf and put support in there. We haven't been asked to get rest centres together here - although that can change and we are always thinking about it."