Refugees claim they have been left without food after their hotel provided "mouldy" and "rotten" meals.
One man who spoke anonymously and suffers digestive issues, claims he went two separate days without eating after staff refused to provide him a suitable dinner, even though he could see better plates of food available.
The refugees living in the area claim their mistreatment has not been limited to their accommodation providers, as bus company Stagecoach came under fire after allegations of refusing to allow refugees to board and pay for trips.
The transport operator is currently investigating the issue.
Now, local residents in Somerset along with activists have been paying out of their own pockets to help those in need as they say they have been left "shocked" by the "lack of sympathy".
A refugee from Eritrea who suffers from gastric issues and has special dietary requirements, claims he was forced to sleep without having a meal on two separate occasions.
He said: “I had no option. I was upset. I just went to my room and just slept. I slept without food.
“I have gastric issues. I can’t eat the food they give.
“I just asked them to change the food for me, they had vegetables and they said, ‘you can’t get it because it’s for diabetic people.’
"I saw the food with my own eyes. I did not eat for two different days."
The man says that other refugees have experienced the same but cannot communicate their problems due to a language barrier.
He said: "It's really difficult. It's not only me. They want to complain but some of them don't speak English. "
The man says he has tried to contact helpline Migrant Help but that it "rings and ring" and there is no answer.
However a spokesperson for Migrant Help said: "Migrant Help holds no responsibility for any asylum accommodation - which is provided by Home Office contractors - or any decisions related to it.
"Our role is advisory – offering advice, guidance and signposting services to people navigating the asylum system in the UK.
"When any issues related to asylum accommodation are reported to us, we pass these immediately onto the relevant provider who is then responsible for their resolution."
Local campaigner Angie Bual from creative platform, Trigger, says she was left “shocked” by the treatment refugees were receiving which led her and others to help out.
Angie said: “They had a caterer but the food was so bad. It was rotten and out of date.
“They get this food that’s shipped in plastic wrapping and it's inedible. I was at a meeting there and I was hungry and I went to the food bar.
“And I was like, ‘I’m not eating any of that slop in plastic.”
Angie said: “I'm just shocked, appalled and kind of deflated. Just to see the lack of sympathy or general respect for somebody.
“Sometimes they don't get fed at all.”
“It's deteriorating people's mental health. And one guy told me that he spent five years in a camp similar to the jungle in Denmark, and he said 'this is worse'."
Refugees living in Somerset claim they have been experienced problems across the board, from the lack of suitable food to being refused transportation.
This has led Angie and other local residents to come together to help around 100 asylum seekers living in their area of the county with basic meals and provide trips for them.
Angie said: “I saw somebody standing at the bus stop. And I pulled over and gave them a lift in. And then I took his number and then that kind of grew into WhatsApp groups.
“Now we've got 60 guys and about the same number of local residents. These people are going into town, and people book their spaces in the car.
“I sometimes make the [refugees] lunch or make them a wrap at my house.”
One incident allegedly saw four men asked to disembark a bus by the driver as they had no change. They were said to have offered to use a £20 note to pay for all four but the driver claimed the bus was full even though there were seats available.
Police were then called to the scene, and the men were requested to leave.
One man who was left stranded at the bus stop said: "It made me feel bad because we are people.
"Maybe our skin colour is different but we're all the same."
Inspector Dickon Turner of Avon and Somerset police released a lengthy statement in which he stated that the incident had been recorded as a hate incident.
He said: "In accordance with reporting protocols, this has been logged as a hate incident.
"Unlike a hate crime, a hate incident is one where at least one person believes there was a hate element, but where no criminal offences have been found to have occurred.
"We recognise this was not done at the time as it should have been but has today been completed.
"This will mean any office called to a similar situation in future will be able to access a record of the concerns raised with respect of this matter."
Angie says the refugees are only given just over £8 a week to survive which is only enough to take the bus when they are allowed on as it leaves barely enough money for food.
Angie said: “They're not allowed to work and they get £8.25 a week.
“And then the bus costs between five to seven pounds. That's all of their money.”
The refugee man from Eritrea said: "I cannot buy food. They only give me £8 a week. I just buy a bus ticket and I go to the city centre to learn English and meet people.
"So I can't spend that money on food."
Trigger has now launched a fund to raise money to help refugees in Somerset. Their target is £5,000 and they have raised £3,577 so far.
For more information on the fund you can click here.
Mike Watson, the managing director of Stagecoach South West said: "We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind or unacceptable behaviour, whether that involves an employee or any customer seeking to use our services.
"We have been made aware of new detailed complaints regarding the alleged behaviour of some employees.
"We can confirm we have launched an urgent investigation into the specific circumstances involved.
"We will not hesitate to take any necessary disciplinary action where our values and people's right to equal access to our services have not been upheld."
A spokesperson for the hotel chain said: "We're unable to share any comment as all bookings are confidential."
They added that queries relating to refugees would need to be directed to the Home Office.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "All hotel residents are provided with full-board accommodation and three meals a day, which adhere to NHS Eatwell Guidelines and cater to specific dietary requirements.
“No complaints have been made to us regarding the lack of food or food quality in this hotel."
