SACKED Minister Angela Eagle has been forced to apologise for misleading the House of Commons over controversial plans to build an asylum seeker centre at Throckmorton.

Ms Eagle, who was replaced as Asylum Minister in last month's reshuffle, was put on the spot last night by Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff.

He was unhappy about comments she made in a Commons debate, just before the reshuffle, about the suitability of Throckmorton for the 750-bed accommodation centre.

Mr Luff had argued the former RAF base was not big enough to cope with such a large number of asylum seekers.

Ms Eagle rejected his claim on the grounds that, at its peak as a military base in 1976, 1,500 people had been based there.

She said this proved 750 asylum seekers "can be absorbed in to the local community and accommodated there".

Mr Luff challenged the figures in a Point of Order in the Commons last night and she was forced to admit she had been wrong.

In fact, only 500 people worked on the site at its peak and no more than 12 actually lived there because of the unsuitability of the area for residential accommodation.

"It is obviously a matter of great regret to me that one of the last things I said from the front bench was inaccurate," Ms Eagle replied.

"I stated what I thought was a fact, but the looks of astonishment on the faces around me gave me some clue that I might not be on safe ground.

"I pass on my regrets to the house for misleading it."

Mr Luff said he was pleased the record had been put straight.

The claim the site is unsuitable for the asylum seekers and that it would be unfair to place them there is central to residents' hopes of defeating the scheme.

"The important point about this is that to put 750 asylum seekers and 200 to 300 staff on the airfield would represent a doubling of the peak activity of the airfield in 1976," he said.

A meeting organised by PACT - Protest at the Asylum Seekers' Centre at Throckmorton - is due to take place on Friday at 7.30pm at Pershore High School.