Thousands of asylum seekers from the European Union accession states were sent eviction orders in early April because the Home Office assumed they could safely return home.

A last-minute U-turn by the Home Office after weeks of protest from the Refugee Council and asylum charities came too late for some. New orders were sent to chief executives of all councils in England on Friday evening, on the eve of the long weekend, and hours before the orders came into force.

Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, leader of Kent county council, which looks after 200 asylum seekers from the EU accession states, said he had been forced to call on the Red Cross and other charities to be on standby to provide tents and other assistance if those affected were unable to find alternative housing.

“We were given new instructions at 4pm on Friday to see if any evictions would infringe the Human Rights Act by making people destitute. If so, we were told to continue to pay benefit and provide shelter for up to 14 days,” he said.

“It seems extraordinary that we should be looking for emergency accommodation on the day of accession. It is been extremely badly planned by the Home Office.”

The Home Office said it had waited until the last minute because otherwise the asylum seekers would not have made any effort to leave or find a job. It said there was no reason for them to be left destitute because they could either return home, live with friends and family or now begin work in Britain.

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