SERCO has apologised after "operational issues" caused last-minute changes to the planned moves for asylum seekers.

Women and children seeking asylum were moved out of the Bluemont Hotel in Bromsgrove earlier this month.

However, issues on the day caused "uncertainty and changes" to the planned moves for some of those living at the hotel.

The private contractor Serco has since apologised for the issues. This follows a report by the BBC on the moving of asylum seekers from hotel.

A Serco spokesperson said: “We experienced a number of operational issues on the day of these planned moves and we are sorry that these caused uncertainty and changes to the planned moves for some of the asylum seekers involved.

"The wellbeing of the asylum seekers in our care is our priority and we have been working hard to make sure that all these people are settled into their new accommodation.”

Back in October 2023, it was revealed that the nearby Ibis Budget Hotel in Bromsgrove would stop being used to house asylum seekers.

Two local volunteer groups criticised the Home Office for making the decision at short notice.

The Home Office states on its website: "The Home Office has always been clear that use of hotels as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers was a short-term measure to ensure that we met our statutory obligation to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute during a period of unprecedented numbers of small boat arrivals.

"Residents currently accommodated in the hotels we will be exiting will be moving to other parts of our asylum estate".

"They will be notified a minimum of 5 days in advance and moved by the Home Office in line with our existing published policies".