Police are charging the Home Office an average of £360 a night to hold one immigration detainee in station cells, according to a Government report. However, two forces in England and Wales charged more than an average of £1,000 for a 24-hour period. Essex Police topped the list with the maximum charge of £2,700.

The average overall cost of £360 a night for a police cell is about the same price as a night in a superior single room at the Ritz hotel in London and £50 more than a current deal for a deluxe room at the Savoy hotel on the Strand.