Another council is now appealing to PRS landlords with empty or shortly to become vacant properties with three or four bedrooms to house Afghan refugees.

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A spokesperson for the Epsom and Ewell council in Surrey, which is currently working hand in hand with a local refugee network, says: “Our thoughts are with the Afghan people who have been forced to flee their homes and now face an uncertain future.

“These Afghan families have put themselves at risk for the UK and now it’s the UK’s turn to help them resettle in our communities. We’re now looking for properties in which families can be housed and start to build a new life in Epsom and Ewell.

“We will not use properties intended for local families in housing need to rehouse refugees, which is why we are making this urgent appeal to private landlords.

“Afghan families are traditionally larger than those in England, which gives us some challenges within the borough in finding suitable properties”.

The council’s ‘tick list’ of properties to house the refugees include they must be self-contained, clean, properly maintained and in good condition, must be within the authorities borders and near to local transport links.

The council confirmed that those landlords who take part will be given rent in advance (nothing new) as well as providing a deposit. It will also operate something called “wrap round support” to try to make it as seamless as possible for refugee families to ‘acclimatise’ to the area, take management of their tenancy and assist them to find gainful employment.

The government has set up a funding scheme for all authorities to take in and house refugees and includes helping families settle in their new environment and arrange local school places for the children.