Theresa May to axe vans telling illegal immigrants to 'go home' Just one Pakistani man was persuaded to go home by Tory campaign Vans with message 'go home or face arrest' were blasted by other parties They are to be axed even though polls show 80% of public supported them The controversial "Go home or face arrest" poster vans targeted at illegal immigrants are to be axed because they have been ineffective. Sources close to Home Secretary Theresa May said she had examined the evidence for continuing the Government's billboard campaign which resulted in the voluntary repatriation of just one person. The campaign has been piloted in six London boroughs featuring leaflets and posters with the message: "In the UK illegally? Axed: Billboards carrying a warning of 'Go Home or Face Arrest' to reduce illegal immigration this summer Two vans were driven around displaying the slogan and advertising a telephone helpline offering support and advice to illegal migrants who want to leave the UK. The campaign proved hugely controversial. Liberal Democrat ministers called for it to be scrapped, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper accused the Tories of using the "language of the National Front" and it even attracted criticism from the Right-wing UK Independence Party. But polls showed almost 80 per cent of the public backed the message, and it has been robustly defended by Conservative immigration minister Mark Harper. Only last week, he told the BBC's Question Time that the campaign could be rolled out across the country. "I don't see any problem with saying to people who have no right to be in the United Kingdom they can't be here any more," he said. Rethink: Sources close to Home Secretary Theresa May claim she has assessed the poor results of the vans But sources close to Mrs May said that after examining an internal report on the impact of the scheme, she has determined that it will not be extended. "She doesn't think there was anything wrong with the principle of the scheme but it is clear it has not been effective," said one source. Earlier this month, Mr Harper told MPs that just one Pakistani man had been persuaded to leave the country as a result of the campaign over the summer. He had not seen one of the vans, but contacted the Home Office after reading about them in the Guardian. The minister insisted the single voluntary repatriation meant the £10,000 campaign had "already paid for itself," since arresting, detaining and deporting an individual typically cost the taxpayer around £15,000. Mark Harper (pictured) signed off the provocative 'Go home or face arrest' billboards that piloted around London Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper accused the Conversatives of using National Front terminology The source close to the Home Secretary insisted the Government would press on with a separate campaign of sending warning text messages to suspected illegal immigrants. The Home Office says just 14 people out of a total of 58,800 contacted were mistakenly asked if they had overstayed their visas. Miss Cooper will today attack the Government for "resorting to ineffective and offensive ad vans, gimmicks or incorrect text messages to people who have lived here for 30 years." Labour will table amendments to the coalition's Immigration Bill which it says would tackle exploitation in the labour market and address problems with border controls and enforcement. The party's plans include making it illegal for recruitment agencies to target and recruit only foreign workers, or to run shifts only for them. It also proposes to introduce a requirement that every large firm hiring a migrant worker from outside the EU has to offer an apprenticeship in return, although it concedes these would also have to be open to foreigners.