Rejected asylum seekers are being given just seven days' notice before being locked out of their homes in Glasgow.

More than 300 people whose applications for refugee status have been denied will lose their accommodation in the coming months.

Serco, who provides housing on behalf of the Home Office, issued the first six tenants with notices on Monday.

It is seeking court orders to repossess homes and claims it is acting with the support of Glasgow City Council.

But equalities convenor Jennifer Layden said the local authority has been "blindsided" by the situation and a cross-party group of councillors has written to the home secretary urging them to halt the evictions.

"It is clear from their correspondence that Serco plans to start this policy without proper consultation or engagement," she said.

"The council is legally prevented from providing accommodation for people with no leave to remain and the city's voluntary sector is completely unprepared for a sudden surge in people needing accommodation.

"This is an appalling situation for all affected."

Ms Layden said that while the council had recently held discussions with Serco, the company had not mentioned lock-outs.

Serco spokeswoman Jenni Halliday said: "We have been providing housing free of charge to over 300 former asylum seekers who no longer have the right to stay in the UK.

"We have been paying for the rent, the rates, the heating and lighting, and insurance on their properties, in many cases for many months all at our own expense.

"Whilst we are sympathetic to their plight, we believe we have been more than supportive of these individuals by providing them with an additional period of housing in which to make alternative arrangements.

"We cannot continue to provide free housing indefinitely," she added.

It could take several months before notices are issued to all 300 Serco tenants.

Most of them are single adult men and women who are not allowed to work in the UK and whose accommodation costs were paid by the Home Office until their asylum applications were denied, it is understood.

Glasgow refugee charity Positive Action in Housing has raised concerns about the welfare of Serco's tenants. In 2010, an asylum-seeking family of three facing eviction from Glasgow's Red Road Flats took their own lives.

"We have been told by several Serco residents that they have considered suicide," said spokeswoman Robina Qureshi.

"It is a chilling reminder of the triple suicide of an asylum seeking couple and their son in Glasgow's Red Road flats in 2010, on the day they were told they had to get out of their Home Office flat.

"To avoid lock changes, some Serco residents have stopped going to college or leaving their flats to buy milk or bread."

Positive Action in Housing has made an emergency appeal for donations to help it cope with the situation.

The Church of Scotland has condemned Serco's actions, calling it "unacceptable" that people "fleeing violence, terror and war should be treated this way".

Reverend Richard Frazer, convener of the church's society council, said: "Whilst these are individuals and families who have had their right to remain in this country turned down, past evidence suggests that half will win their appeal against that decision.

"In the meantime, we have a clear moral responsibility to be providing housing."

"We are a welcoming nation," he added. "We need to live up to that reputation."

Meanwhile, a Scottish charity which supports refugees and asylum seekers has said it is struggling to cope with a sharp rise in demand.

The Refugee Survival Trust has handed out more than £130,000 in emergency grants over the last year.

The charity said that amount has risen significantly over the last two years, leaving its funding "dangerously low".

"Third-sector organisations in Glasgow are already stretched to the limit and simply do not have the capacity to meet a sudden surge in demand for people needing accommodation and financial support," said coordinator Zoe Holliday.