A TOP UK Immigration expert believes Newport is the wrong place for an asylum appeals centre and says it should have been built in Bristol.

The Argus exclusively revealed on Monday that the Immigration Appellates Authority (IAA) is to open a temporary appeals centre at Pentonville magistrates court in Newport on June 30.

The premises will be used because the proposed court at Columbus House in Langstone, which was due to open in December last year, remains closed after protests. It will be the subject of a public inquiry at Newport Civic Centre, on July 15.

But Keith Best, (pictured) chief executive of the Immigration Advisory Service, an independent body consulted by the government on all legislation concerning asylum issues, says Newport is the wrong location altogether for such a centre.

Mr Best said: "I'm somewhat surprised this centre is to be located in Newport. It will serve south-west England as well as south Wales, so Bristol would have been a better place for it.

"Bristol also has a large immigration population - this court will hear immigration cases as well as asylum ones."

Mr Best, MP for Anglesey between 1979 and 1987, also slammed the decision to place the centre so far from the middle of Newport where it would enable appellates easy access from the train station.

Mr Best said: "Langstone is a strange location for the court, if indeed it has to be in Newport. Courts are normally in the centre of town where there is easy access for everyone.

"The location will add extra costs that will end up being footed by the taxpayer." An IAA spokesman said: "We looked at a number of possible locations for the court. We are satisfied Langstone is suitable for our needs.

"All this will be decided before the public inquiry in July." Simon Lane, chairman of Langstone Action, which represents more than 1,200 residents, said: "We have argued from the start that the appeals centre should be in the city centre where it can best serve the appellates."

Langstone Action is holding a public meeting at the Hilton Hotel, Langstone, at 7pm, on July 7.