A group of 11 men were driven to the capital from Kent on Tuesday as part of a larger group of around 40 people. Danial Abbas, from homelessness charity Under One Sky, said the men were left “very distressed, disoriented, lost” with “nowhere to go”. Mr Abbas told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:[They were] just reaching out to anyone and everyone on the street to help. “We were almost glad we were there in the right place at the right time to give them the care, love and compassion that we did.” Asked if he had spoken to anyone at the Home Office about the situation, he said: “I have personally been in touch with a gentleman from the Home Office throughout the evening. A solution was found very quickly. “Immediately, you know, he threw up his hands on behalf of the Home Office and said ‘this was a huge mistake, let’s put such a classification as soon as possible.’ Mr Abbas said the group was taken to a hotel in Norwich. However, a Home Office source told The Telegraph that Mr Abbas’ account was “wrong”. They said: “The people were taken to Victoria Bus Station, London, because they said they had accommodation in that location which would not leave them destitute. “They told us they had accommodation available with family friends. Any suggestion otherwise is wrong. “The Home Office has a legal obligation to provide support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be in need while their application is being processed. “The individuals were in London for a few hours before being taken to the property. “The Home Office worked at pace to find accommodation for the people when we were informed that 11 of them actually had nowhere to stay.” The Home Office is able to transfer people from Manston when they can be hosted by friends and family, and are therefore not in need. Transport is then provided to those leaving Manston, as was the case in this scenario. One of the 11, who did not give his real name, told the BBC he had spent 21 days in Manston, sleeping on a mattress with 150 others. He thought he was staying in a hotel in London when he boarded the coach, but realized he had nowhere to sleep once he arrived in the capital. “When we got to Victoria station, the bus driver told us to get off the bus,” he told the BBC. “I asked the bus driver to call the immigration officer, but he said I should get off the bus and call the family. I told him that maybe there was a misunderstanding because I have no family in here. “Other kids say the same thing. There were about 11 of us with nowhere to go. The bus driver just said we should get off the bus. He said he should just take us to Victoria and use phones to call family. “At Victoria station I didn’t know what to do. Other children went to their families, but where do I go?” A British Transport Police spokesman said staff responded to reports of a group of asylum seekers seeking help at Victoria station at 10.33pm on Tuesday. “Officers engaged and liaised with charity partners, rail staff and government colleagues to help them find accommodation for the night,” he said.
