Afghan refugees settled in London told to uproot families and move 200 miles

Afghan refugees, including Hamidullah Khan (centre), who have been living in a London hotel for a year and have been ordered to move to Wetherby. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Guardian

Hundreds of Afghan refugees who settled in London after fleeing the Taliban 18 months ago have been told they have only weeks to uproot and move 200 miles away, the Guardian can reveal.

The Home Office has told 40 families with 150 children who have lived for more than a year in Kensington, west London, that they must leave the capital for another hotel in Wetherby, on the outskirts of Leeds.