Pregnant women, families and women who had been trafficked were knowingly put into hotels without any vulnerability assessment it has been admitted.

Mears, the private firm who has the Home Office contract to house asylum seekers in Glasgow, said that it was a “blanket decision” to move all asylum seekers out of their homes into hotels in March after lockdown was announced.

John Taylor, Mears Chief Operating Officer, said: “We moved them out of initial accommodation. We had about a week to make the decision, Rightly or wrongly we moved them into hotel accommodation.”

Mears said it then carried out vulnerability assessments and any pregnant women and families were quickly moved into empty properties.

He was unable to say for how long they had been in hotels.

Mears said that following concerns single women were then moved into a hotel on a floor on their own and the single men were housed in other hotels.

Previously in response to concerns raised by Scottish Refugee council, Mears said: “We did not move families to hotels and there are no pregnant women in the hotels.”

Protests were held on Glasgow’s streets during lockdown to protest at the treatment of asylum seekers in the hotels, left with no money and complains over the quality of food.

Mears however, said that it did not recognise some of the concerns and said there was a “disconnect” between to concerns of some campaigners and what they were being told from those in hotels.

Mr Taylor said: "Organisations have an agenda to campaign against the asylum system, we recognise that."

He added: “People have a right to demonstrate. Conditions in hotels are not terrible. There is a disconnect between what we are doing and what people think we are doing.”

On the cash and food Mears said that because the people were being provided with all food and essential items, the Home Office rules are they do not receive the £35 a week payment.

It said it worked to change menus where it was necessary following complaints

In the coming weeks, Mears said it will be moving people out of hotels and back into accommodation.

It said it will not pursue lock changes after its predecessor Serco, was roundly condemned for threatening 300 with destitution.

Mr Taylor said: “We would never turn up with a locksmith”. He said if someone had been refused asylum and was not longer entitled to support, they would work with them to ask where they want to go."

He added if someone refused to leave they would be destitute in the property and Mears would go through the court system to get the property back.