AN IMMIGRATION detention centre has been temporarily shut after several members of staff tested positive for coronavirus.

The Home Office confirmed Brook House, near Gatwick Airport, has been closed for 10 days and said a “very small number” of detainees had been moved to Colnbrook immigration removal centre near Heathrow Airport.

The department has so far not confirmed how many staff and detainees have been affected.

But it said everyone being held at detention centres is seen by a nurse and offered a Covid test while face masks are provided, with these being mandatory for all staff.

A department spokeswoman said: “The welfare of those detained in our care is of the utmost importance and we are working closely with our providers and Public Health England to stop the spread of the virus.

“This includes enhanced cleaning regimes across immigration centres and making sure anyone who may have been exposed to the virus self-isolates.”