Grandmother, 52, who has been married to a British man for almost 30 years after arriving in the UK in 1988 faces being deported back to Singapore 

• A woman who has been married to a Briton for 27 years is facing deportation 
• Irene Clennel, from Singapore, is being held at a Scottish detention centre
• She has been told she will be removed from the UK and sent back to Singapore
• Mrs. Clennel, lives in County Durham and has two children with husband John

A woman who has been married to a British man for almost 30 years is being held in a Scottish detention centre and is set to be deported back to her home country. 

Irene Clennel, who lives in Ouston, near Chester-le-Street, in County Durham, was detained at a routine appointment at an immigration reporting centre in Middlesbrough last month.

She has been told she will be removed from the UK and sent back to Singapore.

But Mrs Clennel, who first came to the UK in 1988, has built a life in England and has a husband, two sons and a baby granddaughter.

In 2016, Mrs Clennel was told by Home Office officials to prepare to fly almost 7,000 miles away from her family and friends as she did not have a flight booked to go home.

Speaking to reporters last year Mrs Clennel said the prospect of being sent back to her country of her birth is 'frightening.'

She said: 'It happened so quickly. I was driven (here) feeling like some kind of criminal.'

'I have got no family in Singapore and I have no property in Singapore. My parents are dead. My only family is a sister, and she is working in India. My husband is British. I do not see why I cannot stay.

'I understand not everyone can come into the UK and stay, but surely I should be treated differently. I hope common sense will win, but I'm frightened.' 

Mrs Clennell, who does not claim state benefits and is not allowed to work, is supported by her husband, John, 50, who is a gas engineer but is in poor health.

He has had a bypass operation following a blockage in his arteries, as well as treatment for a hernia, and relies on his wife of 27 years for support while he recovers.

The pair have two grown up children and have spent almost 25 years living between the UK and Singapore.

They returned to Singapore for several periods in that times as both her parents were diagnosed with cancer and work commitments.

Mrs Clennel says she has spent over £2,000 on applications to remain in the country as a resident and was granted the right to stay in 2008 however renewal applications have since been refused.

Speaking in November after Mrs Clennel's latest application was refused, her husband said: 'It is mental torture, because of the stress. Both of her kids were born here. They are British citizens and she is the biological mother.

'I cannot see any reason why she cannot stay. I have paid more than enough taxes. She has a lot of friends here.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'All applications for leave to remain in the UK are considered on their individual merits and in line with the immigration rules.'