He was tortured by the Taliban who were furious that he was working as a translator for an international coalition of troops who were trying to drive the feared group out of Afghanistan.

Bilal Quereshi, 25, feared for his life until he was packed into a lorry by his uncle and spirited across the border into Iran at the dead of night.

It was the start of a harrowing 8,000 mile journey that ended when he paid to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Italy and onwards through France and into the UK.

But now he, along with 300 other asylum seekers, is facing being thrown out of the UK after being issued with notices to quit their Glasgow homes.

A private firm housing thousands of refugees in Glasgow says it will start evicting up to 300 people who have been told they cannot stay in Britain.

Serco have issued a first six “lock change” notices yesterday giving residents a week to get out with nowhere else to go.

Mr Quereshi says the stress of being threatened with being sent back to Afghanistan has caused severe mental health issues as he faces Taliban retribution on his return.

He said: "I came here because I thought I would be safe. I was tortured by the Taliban and it was only thanks to my uncle that I got out.

"I had to travel through Iran and Turkey before I paid to cross the Med but the man in charge of the boat threw my bag over the side with all my documents in it.

"It was a terrible journey and I thought I would be safe when I got here. I love Glasgow and want to study here but instead I face going back.

"I need it to be sorted out very quickly but it has dragged on for so long. I am currently homeless and I haven't eaten properly for weeks. It's a desperate situation".

His predicament is shared by his fellow Afghan asylum seekers in Glasgow as Serco issue notices to the elderly and young families.

One such family is Hameeda Mohammed, 65, who arrived in the city 10 years ago with her husband and young son after fleeing the Taliban.

She was a teacher at a girls school but was regularly targeted by the ultra-conservative group as they do not approve of females teaching or girls receiving education.

To get past the group to carry on teaching she donned a burkha every day to hide her face and changed its colours every few days to make it look like she was a different person.

Eventually she fled with her husband and son and flew to the UK and they settled in Springburn where she teaches Afghan children English.

But she breaks down when she considers receiving one of the letters that will send them back to Afghanistan.

She said: "My husband has heart problems and cannot fly. We have various doctors letters confirming this but still they might want to send us back.

"We came here to feel safe and enjoy the last years of our lives but instead we face this. My husband hasn't eaten since we heard about the letters and he is already in bad health.

"My son wants to study at university and he is a straight A's student but he cannot study here. It is awful, this city is our home and we feel very welcome here."

It is a similar situation facing Shafiqi Mohammadi who arrived in the UK last year to escape the daily bombardment of her neighbourhood in Kapisa Province, north of the Afghan capital Kabul.

Her father was killed by the Taliban so she fled with her three young sons hoping for a better, quieter life in the west.

They settled first in Austria but arrived in Glasgow last year and her sons attend Drumchapel High School.

Eldest son Mohammad, 16, wants to be a mechanical engineer, his brother Hamid, 15, wants to be an aeronautical engineer and the youngest, 13-year-old Hamid wants to be a banker.

But instead they might not even return to school next term after the holidays are finished as they face the same Serco sanctions.

She said: "I am happy In Glasgow and my boys are doing well at school. After what happened before we left Afghanistan, we can't go back there.

"Every day was constant shelling and we could not leave the house and my sons could not go to school.

"We feel happy and safe here and I do not understand why they want to lock us out of our homes. We are supposed to be safe here."

Her eldest son Mohammed added: "I remember how bad it was back home. We had to get out for our safety. We can't go back there and go through that again every day".

With that thought he shivers, and stares away, recoiling at the situation he would be thrown back into.