TORY heavyweight Kenneth Clarke has warned violence could erupt if the Government presses ahead with plans to build asylum seeker centres in rural areas such as Throckmorton.

The former Home Secretary and Chancellor said asylum seekers who become bored could cause trouble inside the centres - which could spill into nearby towns and villages.

A former RAF base in Mr Clarke's constituency, in Newton, in Nottinghamshire, is one of three chosen to house a 750-bed centre - along with Throckmorton and a site in Oxfordshire.

He agrees with Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff that isolated rural locations are the wrong place for the centres.

And Mr Clarke fears the mainly young men who will be staying at the centres will be unhappy at being placed in a location where there is very little to do.

Mr Clarke says he believes trouble could flare if, through boredom, asylum seekers wander into neighbouring communities and get involved in fights with people who are drunk and cause trouble.

However, the Home Office insists this will not be the case.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said anyone housed in the centres will be kept occupied by on-site leisure facilities and will not be allowed to leave at nights.

New Asylum Minister Bev Hughes has vowed to visit Throckmorton in the next few weeks to speak to residents fighting the plans.

But she is standing firm on the principle of placing asylum seekers in rural locations - rather than bigger towns and cities.

Her predecessor, Lord Rooker, provoked fury when he said Worcestershire must be prepared to share the "burden" with cities such as Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

"We are not prepared to accept the premise that places which have the most experience of accepting asylum seekers should continue to be the only ones to do so," said Ms Hughes.