Cold, hungry migrants stranded in London after error

A radical of migrants were mistakenly taken from Kent and stranded successful London, cold, bare and without accommodation, the BBC has been told.

About 40 migrants were transported retired of Manston, the overcrowded processing centre, connected Tuesday truthful they could enactment with friends and household successful the capital, a stateless foundation unpaid said.

But 11 of them had obscurity to spell aft reaching Victoria railway station.

The BBC has contacted the Home Office for comment.

The authorities has faced disapproval aft reports that Manston was holding migrants, including families, for 4 weeks, successful breach of the law. It is intended radical enactment for nary much than 24 hours portion their assertion is processed.

At most, 1,600 migrants should beryllium astatine the processing centre astatine immoderate 1 clip - the MP for the country said that fig was much similar 4,000 connected Monday.

Danial Abbas, a unpaid with Under One Sky charity, told the BBC helium saw a radical of confused and disorientated men trying to emblem down members of the nationalist and presumption unit astatine Victoria presumption connected Tuesday evening.

The men, who helium understood to beryllium from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, were each wearing individuality bracelets with QR codes connected their wrists. They appeared to person been issued by the Home Office, Mr Abbas said.

"It was cold. Half of them didn't adjacent person a overgarment oregon due shoes on. They were wearing flip flops. All their idiosyncratic belongings were successful bluish integrative bags," said Mr Abbas.

They were bare and without immoderate money, "desperate for tea, coffee, soup", Mr Abbas said. He arranged to bargain nutrient astatine McDonald's and bought much than 80 items of covering for the radical from Primark - including gloves, shoes, hats and pants.

"They thought they were going to a edifice successful London and were precise blessed astir the imaginable of leaving Manston," said Mr Abbas.

There person been a fig of cases of diphtheria - a highly contagious bacterial corruption - reported astatine the processing centre.

Mr Abbas sought assistance from foundation Migrant Help. He was past capable to get successful interaction with an authoritative from the Home Office, who helium says described the concern arsenic "completely unacceptable".

The radical was yet picked up astatine astir 01:00 GMT connected Wednesday and taken to a edifice successful Norwich, helium said.

The British Transport Police said officers arrived astatine the presumption conscionable aft 22:30 connected Tuesday night, responding to reports of asylum seekers looking for assistance.

"Officers engaged and liaised with foundation partners, obstruction staff, and authorities colleagues to assistance them find accommodation for the evening," a spokesperson said.

They said nary transgression offence was committed.

Migrant Help said they would not remark connected idiosyncratic cases but told the BBC: "It is concerning to perceive astir this; and if this was so the lawsuit then, of course, our sympathies spell to the radical who person been enactment into this concern done nary responsibility of their own."