MORE than three-quarters of people detained during the pandemic were released back into the community with their detention having served no purpose, campaigners have claimed. 

Of the 12,967 people who entered the detention estate in the year up to March 2021, just 24 per cent were deported from Britain with the rest eventually released, according to analysis of official figures.

This is a significant drop from the previous year when the removal rate of detainees stood at 35 per cent.