Asylum seekers who are being housed in Colchester could suffer health problems due to the food they are being served, a charity director has claimed.

The Langham Holiday Inn Express is housing about 100 people, but caseworkers from the charity Refugee Action Colchester have said the food they are being served is a poor standard and they are unable to eat it.

Maria Wilby, the director of Refugee Action Colchester, described the food as "sub-standard".

She said: “We attend the hotels weekly, and we’ve managed to get the food changed three times because it was considered to be sub-standard.

“There is often food being given to diabetics which they can’t eat, and there is food which is so spicy that it’s inedible for children – even if I was really hungry, I would struggle to eat it."

It is understood asylum seekers are provided three daily meals and a weekly £8.24 allowance to cover basic essentials, such as clothes and medicine.

Mrs Wilby said she did not believe the food was suitable.

“My response to seeing the food was disgust – it’s really sad as well, because 75 per cent of migrants will be able to stay in this country based on their claim," she said.

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“These people will be our neighbours, doctors, teachers, and they will be part of our society – we have to make sure they are treated properly.”

Mrs Wilby says she believes the issue is contracts are often awarded to the supplier who can offer food at the lowest possible price.

She said: “People will visibly suffer.”

When contacted for comment, a spokesman from the Home Office said it does not comment on operational arrangements for individual hotels.

But he argued the food in asylum hotels met NHS Eatwell standards.

"As required by law, we provide asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with free, fully furnished accommodation, three meals a day and a weekly allowance.

"The food provided in asylum hotels meets all the NHS Eatwell standards as well as responding to all cultural and dietary requirements.

"Where concerns are raised about any aspect of the service delivered in a hotel we work with the provider to ensure these concerns are addressed, while asylum seekers have access to 24/7 helpline to raise any concerns they have and are able to make formal complaints which will always be followed up."