Child refugees may be bused across Britain

The Government is considering plans to bus thousands of child asylum-seekers who arrive in Britain alone across the country to relieve pressure on local authorities in the south-east of England.

Asylum seekers under the age of 18 will be transferred to places across Britain as part of a joint plan by Number 10 and the Home Office, according to reports last night.

Children seeking asylum are treated differently to adults and are placed in the care of social services when they arrive in Britain. There are about 6,000 child asylum seekers, mainly being cared for in the South-east. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are actively considering measures to relieve the pressure on Kent and the South East of unaccompanied minors."

The proposals were criticised by the Refugee Council. Terry Smith, head of the organisation's children's section, said: "Policy should be driven by what is in the best interests of the child."

Further measures reportedly under consideration include the re-imposition of fines on lorry drivers who bring in illegal immigrants, despite the government being defeated in the courts over the issue.

Tony Blair's determination to tackle illegal immigration was underlined this month when he was reported to be considering plans to use warships to intercept people traffickers. The French and British governments also admitted last week that they were in discussions about the future of the controversial Sangatte refugee centre.

A leaked Downing Street memo called for fresh legal advice on the option of returning asylum-seekers to France. The memo proposed tying British and European aid to commitments to take back rejected asylum-seekers but Clare Short, the Secretary of State for International Development, was resisting the move.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, will meet his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozi, next month, with Sangatte at the top of the agenda.