THE LAST detainees being held at a controversial Oxfordshire detention centre have now left, the Home Office has confirmed.

The government body said the remaining detainees had been transferred to other centres ahead of Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre, near Kidlington, closing.

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran said she was told by the office of the Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes that the focus was now on decommissioning the site.

The closure of the 216-bed centre will be complete by May 2019 when the current contract period expires.

It comes after a 25-year long battle by activists, as part of the Campaign to Close Campsfield group, which branded the centre a 'racist prison'.

Ms Moran said: "Today is a pivotal moment in ending the indefinite detention of people who have fled war, torture and persecution in Oxfordshire.

"The welfare of those who have left Campsfield is paramount, and I am pressing to make sure that conditions in other detention centres are decent and humane, as well as  keeping up my campaign in Parliament to end indefinite detention altogether."

The MP added that she will be 'seeking assurances' that those whose jobs are affected by the closure are supported, and the community has a say in the future of the site.