Two people have been suspended from a company being investigated over allegations about the way asylum seekers are treated and housed in Scotland.

Orchard & Shipman (O&S) has been sub-contracted to provide safe and secure accommodation for refugees.

The suspensions follow claims in a national newspaper that refugees have been kept in dirty and dangerous homes.

The allegations include the case of a mother and baby housed in a cockroach-infested property in Glasgow.

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The Home Office said it tried to inspect asylum accommodation regularly.

Now O&S has confirmed two Glasgow-based staff are being investigated over allegations of serious misconduct.

Lee Richards, the UK managing director, said: “We cannot comment further pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the as yet unproven allegations.”

Earlier this year Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, announced a UK-wide inquiry into asylum seekers’ housing standards after visiting accommodation in Glasgow. The inquiry is due to start in September.

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The Scottish Refugee Council wants the Home Office to commission an independent inquiry into claims of substandard housing and dehumanising treatment of refugees.

The Home Office outsources the contract in Glasgow to company Serco and its sub-contractor Orchard & Shipman (O&S).