Inspectors still have concerns about the detention centre for asylum seekers based at Manston.

They have warned there could be a repeat of the disorder and outbreak of disease at the facility if steps are not taken to address capacity issues and recruit more staff.

The report published today followed an unannounced inspection earlier this year.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor says: “While Manston was able to function reasonably when it was fairly empty during our inspection, I was not assured that if numbers increase, as they are expected to in the summer, the site will be able to cope much better than it did during the autumn.

“This could lead to vulnerable children and families remaining on the site for too long, the risk of infectious disease spreading and an increased possibility of disorder.

“It must be an absolute priority for the Home Office to make sure that there are enough on-site staff and onward accommodation, so that migrants pass through Manston without delay.”

Inspectors carried out an unannounced visit in February and concluded that while there had been improvements, there were still issues that caused concern.

Among them was the leadership of the detention centre, which was in the spotlight in the autumn after thousands of people were placed there leading to overcrowding and disease.

The Manston site is supposed to be a short-term holding centre for those claiming asylum, with arrivals detained for only a few hours before being moved to other accommodation, such as hotels.

Inspectors say that with several different organisations involved there were insufficient governance arrangements to ensure work was co-ordinated.

The report says: “Our major concern continued to be the leadership of Manston. With Border Force, Interforce, MTC, Mitie Care and Custody and GSA Security Solutions all providing services on site, there were insufficient governance arrangements to make sure work was coordinated and there was continuity of direct, onsite leadership of the facility as a whole.

“Staff members could not say who was in charge and this increased the risk of a lack of coordination between the different agencies and functions.”

The report says there was no real oversight of safeguarding processes, nor evidence the most vulnerable were being consistently identified or provided with the right support.

The report also highlighted the lack of proper oversight of the use of force or violent incidents at the centre, saying inadequate data was available on when incidents had occurred, when force had been used, and whether it was justified by the circumstances

However, there was praise for other aspects of the Manston facility, with inspectors highlighting the improvement in medical services “which had been transformed since our last visit”.

Inspectors were also positive about improvements to the Kent Intake Unit for vulnerable children, situated at Dover and the Western Jetfoil site, which also acts as a short-term detention centre.

The Manston site hit the headlines over claims it was holding as many as 4,000 detainees - way in excess of the 1,000 to 1,500 that were supposed to be cleared on a daily basis.

However, the site was eventually cleared in November.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman was criticised for the running of the site, which local Conservative MP Roger Gale said had been "overwhelmed".

In a statement, the Home Office said:“We welcome this report, which highlights improvements we have made to our Short-Term Holding Facilities at Manston, Western Jet Foil and the Kent Intake Unit.

“As part of our ongoing work to stop the boats, we have already taken action to address some of the recommendations and look forward to working with the Inspectorate on continuing this process.

“Our staff are working relentlessly to reduce detention times, improve facilities and provide specialist medical care for unprecedented numbers of migrants arriving in the UK illegally.”