Immigration advice surgeries launched in Keighley about two years ago are facing the axe.

Numbers attending the free monthly clinics, provided by the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS), have slumped.

Now the sessions - held at Bob Cryer House, in Devonshire Street - will be scrapped unless more people come forward.

The clinics in their heyday attracted around half a dozen people, but the past three surgeries have been cancelled through lack of interest.

The scheme was set up following a meeting between Keighley MP Ann Cryer (pictured) and the regional manager of the Home Office-funded IAS.

A staff member from the organisation's Leeds office has hosted the clinics each month.

But due to its heavy workload and the fall in clients at Keighley, the IAS is reviewing its clinic provision.

Mrs Cryer says: "I am at a loss to explain the sudden fall off in requests for appointments.

"I am very concerned that if these local advice sessions are cancelled, Keighley residents could miss out on this free advice. Even worse they may go to one of the many unscrupulous immigration advisors who will charge for their services, frequently giving ill-informed and misleading advice.

"Keighley people may lose out twice over in this way - their immigration case may fail and they will lose money as a result of receiving bad advice."

Anyone wishing to attend a clinic should phone 01535 210083 to book.

Zafar Ali, director of Keighley Racial Equality Council, shares the hope that the clinics will continue.

He says: "The REC is also heavily involved in immigration issues, but because of our limited resources we have not, for example, been able to deal with appeals. The clinics serve a useful purpose and I would not want to see them close."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.