THE chief inspector of prisons has raised the alarm over the safety of female detainees at Dungavel Removal Centre.

Females and males seeking asylum are held in separate wings of the remote South Lanarkshire site, but inspectors witnessed male detainees looking through female detainees’ windows.

About 43 per cent of women there told inspectors they felt unsafe in outside areas and many were “reluctant even when escorted” to leave their own unit.

One woman told inspectors: “We can(not) go outside because of the males and our time to do things are quick because of them.”

The report also hit out at the practice of moving women across the country late at night, a process one woman described as “psychological torture.”

Mr Taylor said inspectors had found “compassionate and committed staff” at the institution, but added: “Far fewer women than men are held in immigration detention in the UK, and, as a result, their experiences are still largely shaped by policies designed for men.

“We hope our findings will help the Home Office and its contractors continue to improve the support for these very vulnerable detainees.”