ASYLUM-SEEKERS on a deportation flight were “unnecessarily” restrained with waist belts, a shocking inspection report reveals today.

The HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) report raises “serious concerns” over a January flight transporting 23 people from two immigration removal centres to Austria, Bulgaria and France.

All but one were restrained with a waist belt, which restricts movement by clamping a person’s arms to their body.