CAMPAIGNERS against plans to house 400 asylum seekers at HMS Daedalus are hoping to break through the 20,000 signature mark after a petition stand was manned in Fareham.

Hundreds of shoppers and visitors to the town's weekly market added their names to the ever-growing list of objectors to the Home Office plans.

Dedicated resident Tim Astill, who has been manning the petition stand across Gosport, spent the day encouraging shoppers to say no to the centre earmarked for the Lee-on-the-Solent site.

At the start of the day some 18,000 signatures had already been gathered in support of the petition that is set to be delivered to Downing Street later in the campaign.

Mr Astill said: "We have once again had a great response from the public and I would estimate we are somewhere near the 20,000 signature mark.

"The reaction just shows that people across the area are worried about what affect this will have on them."

Meanwhile hundreds of people have put pen to paper to show their opposition to the 400 bed-asylum seekers' centre.

Gosport MP Peter Viggers has received 1,000 letters in the space of just ten days. Apart from six supporting the Home Office plan all were against.

"I've never received so many letters on a single issue in such a short space of time," he said.

"It's taken myself and my two secretaries quite a number of hours to sort through them all.

"It just goes to show the strength of feeling against the accommodation centre."

Meanwhile, members of the Daedalus Action Group are well on the way to establishing a sound financial footing to fund their campaign.

The total in their fighting fund now stands at £1,800 with payments continuing to be made at the post office in Lee News.

A date has also been set for the next meeting of Gosport council's co-ordinating group, overseeing the campaign against the Home Office plans.

They will get together on March 11 - the day after Home Office officials are expected to meet with Gosport civic chiefs and announce whether they will go ahead with plans to set up the asylum seekers' centre.

Daedalus Action Group chairman John Beavis said: "We have got to keep the momentum going."