Charging immigrants for English classes will make learning inaccessible to hundreds of people and lead to more and social disintegration, say campaigners.

Tutors running English courses for both asylum seekers and immigrants living in Oxfordshire fear this will happen if the Government's proposal to charge for courses comes into effect from September.

Under the plan only asylum seekers between the ages of 16 and 19 and those who have successfully been granted permission to remain in the UK and are on benefits will be entitled to free ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses.

The Government says charging £600 for full-time courses (15 hours a week) and £390 (between four and six hours a week) is to protect the most vulnerable priority groups.

However, the plans have been strongly condemned by course leaders and students.

They fear that if they are unable to learn English, asylum seekers - 90 per cent of whom arrive in England without English - will be vulnerable to adverse influences and more likely to get involved in crime.

A further concern is that without English classes women, particularly Asian women, will be unable to integrate into the community and without English parents will be unable to help their children with homework and other aspects of their education.

Hana Graham, bridging project co-ordinator at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, said from both a social and economic point of view the proposal was detrimental.

She said: "A reduction in the number of immigrants acquiring English will mean that migrant and refugee workers will reduce their contribution to the economy. Local asylum charities and Oxfordshire PCT have expressed concerns about the possible repercussions to the health of those excluded from ESOL classes and it could lead to a rise in patients with depression and mental health needs."

ESOL courses in Oxfordshire currently run at Oxford and Cherwell College (OCVC), at both the city centre and Blackbird Leys campuses, the Community English School and the Ethnic Minorities Business Service, both in Cowley Road, and at Abingdon and Witney College.

At OCVC about 100 students studying on part time courses will be liable to pay fees next year and a further 50 on full-time courses will be eligible. About 12 16 to 19-year-olds will be affected.

At the Community English School about 120 immigrants will have to pay for courses.

Amal Al Nobnay, 24, from Cowley, who studies at the Community English School, said: "English is very important for people who live in this country. If they start charging many people would stop coming to this school. I would not be able to afford to come, and I've got children and I need to help them with English and homework."

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: "The problem here is not a cut in funding - three times as much is being spent on English for Speakers of Other Languages now than was the case five years ago, and there are no proposals to cut the budget - it is that demand for the classes has been expanding even faster."