Asylum seeker abandoned on Tyneside street after 350-mile taxi ride

Many asylum seekers cross the Channel to Dover in small boats

An asylum seeker due to be housed in north-east England was left abandoned on the street, the BBC has learned.

He had travelled about 350 miles by taxi from Folkestone in Kent to South Tyneside but staff from a private Home Office housing contractor did not turn up to meet him.

The government-funded Mears Group blamed a "miscommunication with the transport provider" and has apologised.

The Home Office has been approached for comment.

The man had been due to be housed in a property with other asylum seekers and arrived in the North East on the evening of 20 June.

He spoke very little English and it remans unclear which country he had come from or how long he had been in the UK.

After being left on the street with his bags, he sought help from a neighbouring resident who invited him into his home.

However, the resident was highly intoxicated, has significant issues with alcohol and is also deemed to be extremely vulnerable, the BBC understands.

'Traumatic experience'

Another man who lives in the same street, who the BBC has agreed not to name, said he found the pair in the house together the following morning and said the householder had "little to no recollection" of what had happened.

"The asylum seeker found himself in a house that was rat infested, had no electrics, no fridge," he said.

"It would have been a traumatic experience for him."

The neighbour said it would have been equally concerning for the householder.

"If you're in a situation when you're intoxicated and you wake up the next morning to find someone who doesn't have English as their first language in your house, you may be confused, angry and potentially violent," he said.

"We also don't know the background of the asylum seeker.

"We left two people in a very vulnerable situation and it could've worked out a lot worse than it did."

'Communication protocols'

Mears Group said it was investigating what had happened and had met the asylum seeker on site as soon as staff knew he had arrived.

"We understand there was miscommunication between the transport provider and our team about the arrival timings which led to the service user not being met at the property," the company said in a statement.

"We apologise for the situation that arose and we have reminded transport providers of the communication protocols, which should be followed in all circumstances."

In January, a family seeking asylum in Glasgow were left out in freezing temperatures while waiting for emergency housing from Mears Group.

Mears said in that case it had been asked to provide accommodation at short notice.

The company's annual report shows its 22% increase in revenue in 2021 was "largely driven" by its work finding hotel accommodation for asylum seekers.

Mears said it been "asked to accommodate a lot more people due to rising numbers in the asylum system".