Following the revelation last year that illegal immigrants were caught hiding in the back of lorries an average of once a fortnight in the county, the Home Office pledged to tackle the issue.

And this week, Home Office minister Liam Byrne confirmed a mobile detention centre was currently being built, ready to be launched in Northampton this autumn.

The news has been welcomed by Labour's MP for Northampton North, Sally Keeble, who has pushed for a solution to the county's people smuggling problem.

She said: "I'm very pleased with the announcement. I've been going on at the Immigration Minister for some time about this, so I'm delighted to see he's been listening."

It is believed Northamptonshire is a hotspot for smuggling in lorries because of the county's location at the centre of the country's transport network.

Last September, the Chronicle & Echo reported on two cases which saw more than 20 illegal immigrants flee lorries driven into the county in the space of only a few weeks.

After the stowaways were caught, they were told to make their own way to a detention centre in Croydon, more than 100 miles away.

The Conservative MP for Northampton South, Brian Binley, described the previous system as 'bonkers', questioning how many illegal immigrants actually followed the instructions to go to a detention centre.

He has also claimed the time it has taken the Government to act since the issue was raised a year ago was far too long.

He said: "I'm delighted we're going to get a mobile detention centre, but I'm amazed at how slowly the Government has worked on what is a very urgent issue.

"Last year I was told this matter was being treated urgently, but that's a joke.

"If there's one issue that shows how divorced our Government is from the real world, this is it.

"I am pleased we are going to get a detention van, we'll now have to see how well it works, and I'll certainly be monitoring that."

The specially-designed van which will be used in Northampton will be similar to ones trialled in Poole, Dorset, last year.

The vans used in the trial could hold up to 10 suspected illegal immigrants for up to 12 hours while their details were checked.

The Government also announced this week plans to build two new detention centres in Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire.

Last year, more than 63,000 illegal immigrants were deported from the UK.