A former British embassy guard evacuated to the UK from Afghanistan has asked how much longer he can expect to live in a hotel with his heavily pregnant wife and toddler.
Faiz Mohammad Seddeqi, 30, has been staying in a hotel within the Watford area with his wife and son since last August.
He had worked as a guard with the British Embassy in Kabul for more than a year.
With another baby now due in September, he said being stuck in a hotel has not been an “easy task”.
He said: “We have (had) to wait a year, I don’t know how much longer I have to wait.”
Mr Seddeqi said he has asked for another room “many times” but “did not receive a positive answer”.
He added: “Is it possible to have a one-year-old child with a baby and two adults in a small room?”
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As of August 5 there were 366 Afghans living in hotels across Hertfordshire, with a county council spokesperson stating “a majority” are placed in and around the Watford, Three Rivers and Hertsmere areas.
Some 70 hotels in the UK are understood to be in use, at a daily cost of £1 million.
Councils in Hertfordshire have pledged to help house as many refugees in permanent homes as possible.
But Andy Hewett, head of advocacy at the Refugee Council, said the Government is “failing on their promise of a warm welcome”, with thousands of Afghans still trapped, and those who have reached the UK separated from their loved ones.
He said their dignity and rights must be upheld by being given safe accommodation and the Government must ensure they do not face another year in hotels.
He said: “Nearly 10,000 Afghan men, women and children are still in substandard temporary hotel accommodation, living in limbo between four walls with no ability to move on with their lives and recover from the trauma they have experienced.”
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “While hotels do not provide a long-term solution, they do offer safe, secure and clean accommodation.
“We will continue to bring down the number of people in bridging hotels, moving people into more sustainable accommodation as quickly as possible.”
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