A list has been revealed of the bail hostels in Kent and Medway.

The postcodes were revealed by Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw, in answer to a question posed in the House of Commons by Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Nick Herbert.

It shows hostels are sited at Rochester, Chatham or Gillingham - in postcodes are ME1, ME4 or ME7.

The supervised accommodation, provided by management company ClearSprings, houses defendants released on bail awaiting trial and offenders who are near the end of a prison sentence.

The exact addresses of the hostels have not been released to protect the defendants and offenders.

Ministry of Justice Lord Chancellor Jack Straw said: “We do not disclose the private addresses of defendants or offenders. The properties used in the Bail Accommodation and Support Service are the private rented homes of those receiving the service.

“As at 12 January, 1,051 offenders on home detention curfew and 1,338 defendants on bail have used the Bail Accommodation and Support Service since June 2007.

“ClearSprings has been paid £8.3 million for the provision of the Bail and Accommodation Support Service from June 2007 to the end of November 2008.”

The news has led to calls for more consultation with people who live near these hostels.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: "If the views of local people were taken into account before these houses were set up, placing people, on bail or home detention, in residential areas would be far less difficult.

"The reintegration of people on early release back into the community is necessary and needed. Properly located and adequately-supervised bail accommodation is an effective way of dealing with people awaiting trial or reaching the end of their sentences.

"However, there has been a lack of genuine consultation with local authorities and a disregard for the wishes of local people when it comes to where these properties are located."