An asylum-seeking family say they "hate" living in a £250,000 new-build home after being moved to a rural Shropshire village. Muhammad Nadeem, 40, his wife Shamaila and their four children were relocated from asylum hotel accommodation to a four-bedroom property in Stoke Heath after claiming asylum in the UK. The family said they are now desperate to return to Stockport, where Mr Nadeem had been working as an Uber driver before his visa expired.

Their new home is one of 21 recently built properties being used to house asylum seekers as part of the Government's efforts to phase out asylum hotels. The Stoke Heath scheme sparked opposition after residents discovered the newly built homes had been acquired by Serco to house asylum seekers, with many arguing the properties should have been reserved for local families. The controversy prompted the Home Office to tighten its policy, saying new-build housing developments should no longer be used for asylum accommodation and introducing measures to ensure similar schemes "could never be considered again".

Mr Nadeem and his family are one of the asylum seekers relocated to Stoke Heath. He said the family's ordeal began almost immediately after they moved in as they were allegedly targeted by local thugs.

He said: "My wife and our kids were outside the house when three people came towards us. We quickly went inside and I locked the door."

He said masked individuals later knocked at the door while filming him. The incidents were reported to Serco, which manages the accommodation, and security guards now patrol the estate.

"We left Pakistan because of threats to our family and now we have it here."

The father said the family feels trapped inside the house.

He added: "We now have security guards outside but we don't feel safe. We don't want to be here. It is not suitable for us - it is too far for jobs, shops and schools.

"My kids say, 'Father, can we go outside and play?', but I don't let them in case they are abused or threatened."

Mr Nadeem also said the family's weekly support is quickly swallowed up by transport costs as the nearest GP and shops are miles away.

He said: "What do I do? The Home Office gives us £295 a week for six members. Most of our money goes on taxis."

Asylum seekers are generally banned from working while their claims are being decided unless they have been waiting more than 12 months through no fault of their own, and even then, they can only apply for jobs on the Government's shortage occupation list. Those housed in self-catered accommodation receive financial support to cover essential living costs.

His wife, Shamaila, said: "We are scared to stay in this house. We hate it here."

A Home Office spokesperson said it had introduced "robust processes" to ensure developments like Stoke Heath "could never be considered again."