THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury yesterday toured Gosport's controversial refugee detention centre where detainees sleep three men to a tiny 6m by 3m room.

The Most Reverend Dr George Carey spent more than an hour looking at living conditions in the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre and talking to detainees.

Afterwards he said: "I think conditions are quite humane.

"It looks forbidding from the outside, but I think the staff are generally seeking to care for them to the best of their ability."

The Daily Echo joined Dr Carey as he toured the Dolphin Way centre's dormitories, education block and conducted a short religious service.

In reference to the hunger strike that last year caused prison officers in riot gear to storm the centre he said: "Obviously the governors have had tensions from time to time but on the whole people are content with their lot at the moment.''

Outside the prison - which holds up to 160 male asylum-seekers - a small group of campaigners pro-tested against conditions inside.

Rosie Bremer, from the Ports-mouth Campaign to Defend Asylum Seekers, said: "They are very, very inadequate living conditions. Every day I am rung up by detainees who are very, very unhappy and they want to be anywhere else than Haslar Detention Centre.''