A HOME OFFICE contractor providing housing for asylum-seekers in Glasgow has admitted to knowingly removing victims of human trafficking from their homes and placing them in crowded hotels.

Mears chief operating officer John Taylor confirmed today that staff were aware of the vulnerabilities of those who were removed from independent accommodation during lockdown. 

Among more than 300 refugees moved without notice from their homes to hotels and forced to share facilities with strangers were human-trafficking victims, pregnant women and families. 

Women who spoke to the Star in April said that they were “living in fear” and feeling vulnerable after being left isolated in rooms next to men. 

A lack of social distancing, poor-quality food and no drinking water were reported by those staying at hotels after their weekly financial support was removed.

Now Mears’ bosses have said that they were aware of the background of those moved into hotels, but were forced by the circumstances to make decisions at short notice without vulnerability checks being made. 

Mr Taylor said: “Quickly, we identified the people we needed to move out of the hotel as it wasn’t appropriate and moved them into some of our empty properties safely.

“We were aware that in the first moves we had small amounts of women sharing with men and that wasn’t acceptable.”

The Home Office contractor also said that it hoped to begin returns to independent accommodation within the next week.

Charities welcomed the plans to move people out of the “inappropriate accommodation” as quickly as possible, but hit out at the lack of protection for vulnerable residents. 

A spokesman for the Asylum Seeker Housing Project said: “Clearly this is a major failure in the safeguarding of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. 

“We urge the Home office to fully investigate the process [in which] Mears moved people into hotels so we can learn the lessons and never put such vulnerable people in inappropriate accommodation ever again.” 

The Scottish Refugee Council’s Sabir Zazai added: “It is unacceptable and almost certainly a breach of the asylum accommodation contract that these assessments were not conducted. 

“This caused pregnant women, children, trafficking survivors and people with mental-health problems to be moved to the hotels.”