lets be honest. these iraqi interpreters are probably more useful than most of the other residents of those tower blocks put together. they risked their lives for this country and they (and all of out troops for that matter) deserve far better treatment post service.

alex, London, England

"Abdul, 71, one of three Iraqis who risked their lives working for British troops in Basra and were resettled in April with 15 dependents, advised others in a similar position to stay in Iraq."

I guess that explains why they were sent to Glasgow.

Polly, London, UK

This is a national disgrace after what these individuals and their families have risked for our forces without there help there would be no intelligence coming in off the ground in Iraq which would have no doubt lead to many more unecssary deaths of coalition personnel DISGRACEFUL

G EDWARDS, LONDON, ENGLAND

So it's ok for British people to live in squalor then?

Betty, London,

There are British people out there who have nowhere to live, I am a British Soldier serving my country, look at the living conditions we have to put up with a lot of the time when on homeland, they should be grateful to have a roof over their head...

Maggie, London, UK

ah so I get it. These dumps are ok for our British poor, but not good enough for the economic migrants and foreigners who end up here.

Mike, Edinburgh,

They did deserve to be re located,but sorry we cannot all get council flats in W1 or SW1 !!!

Welcome to shabby Britain !!! Where drug addicts, jobless troublemakers and Chavs have more rights then decent working citizens !!

I would have taken my chances on Arab street,maybe Jordan !

Paul Streets, London, UK

Glasgow is a great city and has some of the best examples of victorian architecture in the world. Some of the comments are from people who obviously have never visited this city of culture. Iraqies should be thankful, get a job and relocate if they are not happy.

Michael Mulholland, Sydney, Australia

I agree with the comment 'illegal immigrants get a better deal' They certainly get a better deal than I did returning to UK after 5 years living abroad I was offered NO help with anything, I am an ex-seviceman (24 years service) and because I did not pay National Insurance in 2006 I got nothing.

Donald Stewart, London, England

Who should live in these flats?

Tom, London,

Sarah - you are offensive. They were promised the chance to come here and resettle. Now, I know that in these NuLab times, "promise" is an ethereal concept, but once upon a time it had meaning. If nothing else you should condemn the racist bullying of children described here. Shame.

Jessica, wrexham,

The only people who make this area a squalid drug ridden slum, unfit for humans to live in are the people who live there, if they have no desire to better themsleves, then they deserve no better.
We have areas of poor housing in the SE, but people work and move out of them, try that!

Ian johnson, Ramsgate, UK

I'm with Sarah, we owe them nothing, zero.

Peter, London, Uk

Is the problem not so much that these peple have been put into this sittuation. But more like 'why are these conditions allowed to exist anyway in UK 2008'.

Dave Kinsley, derby, uk

It just demonstrates how the goverment/civil service treat anyone who has served the country. The list is almost endless:- minimal compensation for war wounded, dismal payments to the Gurkas, poor army housing etc.You can guarantee that our civil servants, MP's and have their pensions well sorted!

David, W-s-M, UK

Last time I was in one of the worse areas in Glasgow (I used to work for the local housing associations)I seem to remember a lot of locals having to live in these very same conditions..In these areas it is only a minority of people causing trouble and most people are decent but forced to live ther

Nicky, Edinburgh,

It is interesting to read all the comments to this report. But how in 1945 did British people feel about those who had collaborated with an invader and occupier? For the answer to that question read the history of the Channel Islands in the Second World War and its aftermath.

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

Rather than spend a little more and show gratitude to these brave people, another load of civil servants will be recruited, staff a committee for two years...with no results. This is classic of our entire government- spend money on their comittee friends and leave the contributors in the lurch..

phil, Headley, UK

Glasgow is the breeding ground for some of our very best soldiers. Soldiers who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan and, when they retire or leave the forces, get far less support than Iraqi interpreters who are, and always have been, notoriously mercenary.

James, Manchester,

Why is it Captain Hook and his fellow crack head preachers were welcomed here with open arms and allowed to help themselves to our benefits, yet these people who risked their lives to HELP us get such a raw deal?

Luke, London, UK

Why is there such surprise at the facilities these people have been given ? One only has to look at the squalid conditions our troops were living in even before they went to Iraq.

Paul, Brighton, uk

Sarah from France...I don't think you quite undertood the point here, these people risked their LIVES for BRITISH troops?!? There's nothing wrong with Glasgow but this area in questttion is a shamble and these Iraqis deserve better.

Paul Daby, Glasgow, UK

And why is a nine year old wearing a hijab ???

Dora, Lyme Regis, UK

Ah, yes, forgot about the Times upper/middle class mandate to pigeon-hole Glasgow. We're all animals living in squalor up here - unlike the utopias of Burnley, Brighton, Shanghai (!!!) which, of course, have no social problems...

Oh, yes, and all Scots have a huge chip on their shoulder too...

David, Glasgow (the nice corner), UK

These Iraqis have risked their lives to help save British lives and deserve far, far better treatment from the government. As to claims by others here that British people have to live in these conditions, I can guarantee you that the vast majority of those have contributed far less than the Iraqis.

Stuart, Leicester,

You would think though that we would still need lots of people
with these language skills. Do we need them in Glasgow?Or would they have been better offered housing near some work.? GCHQ?

Ben, Hampstead, UK

The government has the same contempt for those that support our armed incursions as they do for those that carry them out.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

I think you will find far worse cities than Glasgow in the UK. However every major city in the world has it black spots. The real issue here is that the UK has citizens living in such squalor, never mind any immigrants. The simple truth it we have no right to be in Iraq or Afghanistan at all.

susan, proud glaswegian,

"Iraqi translators handed squalid refuge
The first Iraqi interpreters to be offered homes in Britain..."
Interpreters, translators... come on Times, you can do better than this, surely.

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan

yes fine. these houses are good enough for scots but not good enough for iraqis.

judging by the contributors comments 'the times' has missed public opinion

peter jones, moscow,

I see Glasgow unfairly represented here. I'd sooner be here than London. Like all large cities, it has areas such as that described where it would be best not to end up. Why shouldn't we rehouse these people in a reasonable environment commensurate with their efforts and risk?

Irene Bujman, Glasgow, Scotland

Re the indignation about glasgow - funny that thousands of glaswegians recently did a pretty good job of reducing Manchester to squalor, in less than a day - were they homesick?

Jim, Burnley,

i gather from this article that it is perfectly permissible for british citizens to live in these conditions but we are "failing" our allies by making them live there. if it is wrong for these ex employees to be sited here then i am sure that they are unsuitable for anyone. posturing politicians!

paul, hua hin, thailand

So in conlusion, Glasgow is unsuitable for human habitation. Nice work, you've confirmed what I always suspected.

charlie thomson, Singapore,

And they thought they were going to be safe in the UK!

Stephen, St. Ives, England

What! Not buy them apartments in Park Lane, Bentley convertables, and fridges full of caviar and lobster?

David, Cambridge, UK

It's safe to go back. The Iraqi army and the 82nd Airborne have taken care of Basra. Took about three weeks

r. burns, Tampa , Fla

who always say human rights???Iraqi interpreters had made contribution to british ,but they had get nothing,ruputation or insult,it's too lamentable!

evelyn, hangzhou, china

Why does this government not send them to one of NuLabour's prisons - they'll live like princes.

Raymond, Taunton,

Sorry but I think the Ghurkas come way up at top of the list for decent treatment in my book.
At least these interpreters have been allowed to live here. Now what? they want me to support them too?

Phill, The Wirral, England

Mike,
Clearly you've never been to Glasgow if you think it is the worst city in Britain... or very many other places for that matter. We're talking about a very specific area of the city and of society, sadly you'd find that in any big city. However, these Iraqi's deserve much better treatment.

John, Edinbrugh, UK

It is shameful that anyone should live in such squalid conditions. Many former British forces people are homeless They too served our nation. We should not lose sight of the fact this is one of the wealthiest countries. Where is the will to see justice and tackle the inequality here?

Charmaine Morgan, Grantham, Lincolnshire

When I met so many of them in Baghdad during the CPA time, they worked with us in an expectation of a brighter future, a belief in the transformation of their homes to a place free of the former terror. You could see enthusiasm in the brightness of their eyes - what a ruse we played even among us!

Bill Keller, BASKING RIDGE, USA/New Jersey

I don't see why the UK should have to offer them anything. They were paid for their work as interpreters. They were aware of the risks and now they are seeking special treatment. Seems to me like they are trying to have their cake and eat it.

Sarah Duhau, Paris, France

"it must be miserable for them to live in these conditions,” -“Our moral obligation to these people extends beyond putting them in poor housing with inadequate financial support"......and so the comments go on about Glasgow. The Iraqi plight is sad but have we missed the point here.

Michael Roche, Vancouver, Canada

Shame? What shame? As someone said in this "forum", there are so many people, citizens of this country, living in exactly the same conditions, why the iraqis should be any better? If they wanted to come to England they should live in the same way we all do. By all I mean those that are not superich.

Fabio C, London, UK

It's happening in the US, too. I know of an Iraqi who helped the US Embassy until he had to leave to protect his family. He is now in the US with virtually no help from the US government. He had a proper career until we destroyed his society. Now, he's clearly rubbish because he's on the dole.

Dean, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

I do notice - amid all of the "disgraceful"s and the "Glasgow - the worst city in Britain"s, that no-one appears to be concerned that there are hundreds of British families living in that selfsame squalor, in those same flats, every single day of their lives.

Strange, that.

John Blackley, Winter Garden, Florida

the fact that these conditions exist at all is a damning condemnation of this government and illustrates the plain fact that the welfare state is an absolute joke. these estates breed nothing but drug abuse and force future generations to be dependent on welfare.

alex, London, England

What a shame on this government i believe politicians do not care about public anymore they are just greedy for votes.
Glasgow is a most violent city so Iraqis are back in violent.

Matthew Adnan, London, UK

er.... welcome to Britain. The scandal isn't the Iraqi translators who most would agree deserve a decent place - it's that it takes this to bring to our attention that some of Britain's inner city dwellings are - let's say - a little below par.

Rory, Shanghai,

"I was strongly opposed to the military action but I have no doubt whatsoever that we owe these families much more than we seem to be giving them."--Sir Menzies Campell
"...the scheme set up by officials has been criticised as hugely bureaucratic and designed to deter them from coming."

odysseus, ithaca, us

It is not suitable housing for Britons either.

Charlie, London, UK

You'd only send someone to live in Glasgow - surely by far the worst city in Britain - if you truly hated them.. I suppose the sad Marxists that Labour hired to run the MoD and Foreign Office regard anyone who helps British troops to be beneath contempt and therefore fair game.

Mike, Brighton, England

This really is a disgraceful government.

Jo, Melbourne, Australia