Cheap housing could be a damaging factor when it comes to placing asylum seekers, according to a report.

The Royal Institute for International Affairs said the Government's policy of putting asylum seekers in towns where cheap accommodation is available, could create racial tension.

Instead, it suggests putting refugees into one of the country's named cluster areas where there is already an ethnic minority community. Southend is not on the cluster list.

However, Supt Mick Thwaites, Southend's divisional commander, did not think asylum seekers suffered unduly from being placed in Southend where there is a relatively small ethnic community.

He said: "There is a very tolerant view in Southend and everyone lives and works well together and it is not an issue in terms of increasing crime.

"We have liaison officers here, who on a regular basis, work with social workers to support asylum seekers in any problems they may have, so I feel that in this particular borough they do get support from the agencies, particularly from the police."

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, the report's author, Dr Christina Boswell, said many asylum seekers were being sent to inappropriate accommodation in areas of high social tension which has led to the kind of racial problems hitting the headlines.

Home Office minister Mike O'Brien said: "The objective is still to have cluster areas where the asylum seekers have been provided with various elements of support such as legal, language and cultural support together with some support from an existing ethnic minority in that area."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.