Afghan refugees in Watford told support will be cut

Faiz Mohammad Seddeqi has stayed at a Watford hotel for almost six months after being evacuated to the UK from Afghanistan in August with his wife and son.

But the former guard at the British Embassy in Kabul received a letter that states new measures will come into effect on February 11, which will limit the provision of support to Afghan refugees.

This comes after it was revealed that the Government is spending £4.7million a day housing asylum seekers in hotels, an estimated £127 per person.

Reacting to the letter, the 30-year-old said: “When we see this kind of reaction and decision from (the) Home Office, it means ‘from onward we don’t care about you and we are not concerned about you – you need to manage everything by yourself.”

Faiz Mohammad Seddeqi fled Afghanistan to Watford (Photo: PA)

Mr Seddeqi said the Watford hotel he’s staying at is “not very clean” and the food “is not good”.

The letter, addressed from the Afghanistan Resettlement Arrivals Project at the Home Office, reads: “Until now, in addition to your Universal Credit payments and the accommodation and meals provided in the bridging hotels, we have also provided some additional items.

“I am writing to inform you that from 11 February we will no longer provide those additional items and you will need to purchase these for yourself using your Universal Credit payments.”

The letter states the asylum seekers will continue to receive “main meals”, including “baby food and baby milk” but will no longer receive “complimentary snacks, toiletries (aside from basic toiletries) or over the counter medication”.

“You will need to pay your own transport or taxi fares to appointments,” the letter adds.

Faiz Mohammad Seddeqi fled Afghanistan to Watford (Photo: PA)

His brother, who wished to remain anonymous but also fled Afghanistan, said in response to the letter that he hopes those seeking asylum could feel “a little bit more” looked after by the Government.

“It’s very difficult for every Afghan person (who) left their country and came here, because everything has destroyed our country – the infrastructure, our aims, our goals… everything has just collapsed,” he said.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The use of hotels to house those resettled from Afghanistan is a short-term solution and we are working with local authorities to find appropriate long term accommodation for them.

“As the hotel residents are now receiving Universal Credit, which covers the costs of their essential items, we advised they’d no longer receive the additional funding.

“All hotel residents continue to receive fully furnished accommodation, including a choice of three meals a day, constant access to drinking water, basic toiletries and their utility costs are covered.”