Plans to house asylum seekers at military barracks in the Highlands look likely to be delayed.

About 300 men were due to be sent to Cameron Barracks in Inverness by late November as part of a UK government drive to close asylum hotels.

However, the Home Office said it wants to avoid “mistakes of the past” where rushed plans led to “unsafe and chaotic situations”.

A spokesperson said people would be moved into the facility when it is “fully operational and safe”.

Cameron Barracks was one of two sites earmarked as potential temporary asylum seeker accommodation earlier this year.

The 140-year-old base, near Inverness city centre, was previously used to house families fleeing Afghanistan.

Crowborough army training camp, in East Sussex, was also under consideration for the proposals, with the first asylum seekers due to arrive this month.

The Home Office said it still planned to “accelerate” the movement of people to the barracks.

But it said it would not do so at the expense of the safety of local communities.

A spokesperson added: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.

“Moving to large military sites is an important part of our reforms to tackle remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain.

“We are continuing to accelerate plans to move people into Cameron Barracks, when it is fully operational and safe.

“We will continue to work closely with local representatives and authorities throughout this transition.”

The Home Office did not disclose which “chaotic situations” it was referring to.

However, widespread protests against the housing of asylum seekers in hotels exploded across the UK in the summer.

In Scotland, protests were held outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Perth and Aberdeenshire as well as Falkirk during August.

A brick was thrown through the window of the Cladhan Hotel in Falkirk in September, months after hundreds of pro and anti-immigration protesters held rival demonstrations outside.

The Park Hotel in the town was also targeted after a former resident, Sadeq Nikzad, was sentenced to nine years in jail for the rape of a 15-year-old girl.

Highland Council officials recommended writing to the Home Office to seek “urgent clarity” on the proposals at the start of November.

The local authority previously said that about 60 people per week could arrive at the barracks from the second week of December.

They said the plan was to use the site for 12 months, before it reverted back to being an army base.

But a report also raised concerns over the scale of the proposal, pressures on local services, the potential of protests and the barracks becoming a target for people “deliberately wishing to incite violence and hatred”.

A spokesperson for the council said: “A multi-agency partnership involving the council, NHS Highland, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish government, Cosla, and the Home Office is now meeting weekly to plan for the arrival of asylum seekers and learn from best practice.”