FAMILIES evicted from temporary accommodation at the RAF site in Uxbridge are living in hotels at a cost of more than £8,000 a week to the taxpayer.

Last week, 64 families, most with children, were evicted from their homes at the site off Hillingdon Road, and many of them had nowhere to go.

A member of staff at Heston Travelodge confirmed 17 rooms at around £66 a night have been booked for the families for at least seven days, and are being paid for by Hillingdon Council.

“We had some bookings on Monday and some more on Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Hammad Bukhari, who works at the hotel. I am not sure how long they will stay here, the council may extend it.”

Solicitor Saima Yasin from the Hillingdon Law Centre is working with one of the families.

She said: “Eight people including a 17-month-old baby are sharing two bedrooms at a cost of £876 for
eight days.”

She said one of the children in the same family has a disability and they are living near a motorway and the only place for them to play is in a car park.

“Next week is half-term and so these children will have nowhere to go,” said Ms Yasin. “The authority has been aware of the issues this family has and has known about the eviction for months now but did not even take a homeless application until Thursday last week. There are very few houses in this borough that would attract a colossal rent of £876 for eight days.”

Neil Stubbings, the council’s deputy director of housing, said: “The council has been working hard to rehouse residents from RAF Uxbridge into permanent accommodation as quickly as possible.

“While we have successfully rehoused a number of those affected, there are some residents for whom we are still looking for alternative suitable accommodation that meets their requirements. While a permanent housing solution is found we are providing bed and breakfast accommodation as a temporary measure to ensure that they are not made homeless.

“We have a dedicated housing officer whose priority is to continue to assist them in finding and moving into permanent accommodation at the earliest opportunity.”