Fears grow of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslim migrants of Bibby Stockholm as authorities are told prayer sessions should be segregated

Officials should consider establishing separate prayer rooms for Sunni and Shia Muslims living in the Bibby Stockholm to avoid sectarian clashes, a government report has found.

Divisions between the two main sects of Islam are a major cause of conflict in the Middle East and could lead to unrest at sites housing migrants in Britain, a Home Office equality impact assessment has found.

The document says this could cause 'undesirable behaviour' and 'separate worship services should be considered'. It adds that interactions between the two groups “need to be monitored.”

A separate report on RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire warns of 'tensions' due to the Sunni-Shiite divide and says 'segregated local faith and prayer spaces' are being made available.

Footage has emerged of fighting between asylum seekers in the canteen of RAF Wethersfield, a former base in Essex.

The division between the two main sects of Islam is a major cause of conflict in the Middle East and can lead to unrest in locations where migrants are housed, the document said.

One asylum seeker said there had been 'nightly fighting' at the base.

A second, a 19-year-old from Iran, said the “dangerous” conditions had left him “scared”.

He told ITV News: 'Inside the camp: dangerous, because [most] nights… [there is] fighting against another nationality, another language, another people.

'[There is] security, but they cannot control it [things]because there are many people here. [There is] no safety. I'm scared here. It's dangerous.'

The first migrants arrived at RAF Wethersfield in July and are currently housing 430 people, with plans for up to 1,700 people at the site.

Another source with access to asylum seekers at the base said they had been told of “numerous fights” and “disagreements” and witnessed cuts and bruises sustained from fighting.

One person's injuries were 'so bad' they had to be taken to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for stitches, it is claimed.

Earlier this month, an asylum seeker died on board the Bibby Stockholm in an apparent suicide.

He was recently named as Leonard Farruku, a 27-year-old Albanian who crossed the Channel in a small boat last summer.

Farruku's sister, Jola Dushku, claimed he was treated “like an animal” before his death on the ship, the Telegraph reports.

Other men living on the ship said last week that he screamed “really loudly” for 15 minutes at 3am and banged on the cabin wall.

Ms Dushku said: 'When I last spoke to him he told me that the conditions in that boat were not bad, but they were treated like animals by the guards.

'When my brother arrived in Britain he gave the Home Office the address of our relatives in London. They were contacted by police, who told them what had happened.

A separate report on RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire warns of 'tensions' due to the Sunni-Shiite divide and says 'segregated prayer rooms' are being made available

Footage has emerged of fighting between asylum seekers in the canteen of RAF Wethersfield, a former base in Essex. One man said the fighting took place between people of different nationalities

“According to our relatives who are in contact with the police, Leonard had some trouble that evening at 11 p.m. and was calmed down by the security guard.

'At 3am he was found dead. “We don't have any more details about how he died.”

Mr Farruku, who was born just outside Durres, Albania's second-largest city, had come to Britain with the dream of finding work and getting permanent residency, his sister said.

She added that the loss of both their parents, but especially their mother, had changed her brother's behavior in recent times.

The first asylum seekers were returned to the ship, moored in Portland Harbor, in October, two months after it was evacuated following the discovery of potentially deadly Legionella bacteria in the water supply.

Campaigners claim a man on the ship tried to commit suicide earlier this year.