Plans to evict 240 failed asylum seekers from their homes in Glasgow with just seven days notice have been put on hold.

Home Office housing provider Serco had begun issuing letters to tenants warning their locks would be changed if they did not leave willingly.

It has now put those plans on hold following a legal challenge from the Govan Law Centre.

Six tenants already served with lock-change notices will be given an extra 21 days and no further notices will be issued.

Another 88 Serco tenants who have already been granted refuge in the UK are not believed to be at risk of imminent eviction.

A Serco spokesman said: "In order to facilitate the path of a legal adjudication, Serco will extend the notice period by 21 days for the six people currently subject to lock-change notices.

"This will allow them more time to prepare their representations or to move out of their properties.

"We will also pause all further lock-change notices to other asylum seekers who have received negative decisions whilst the law is being tested and clarified.

"This will also give stakeholders who support asylum seekers more time to prepare for what is likely to be an increase in the number of people seeking their help."

Serco said it had provided housing for months in some cases for those without the right to remain in the UK, without recompense from the Home Office and at a cost of more than 1m a year.

The halt comes after campaigners burned eviction notices in a protest outside Glasgow's Brand Street offices on Saturday.

The event followed a demonstration in the city centre on Tuesday which attracted hundreds of people and speakers including SNP and Labour MPs, and a smaller protest on Friday during which the gates of the Government offices were chained.

Around 40 people took part in the demo held in support of two Afghan nationals, Rahman Shah, 32, and Mirwais Ahmadzai, 27, who staged a hunger strike outside the building, understood to have ended on Friday.

Police were called out to the protest, and two men aged 45 and 58 were charged with minor public disorder offences.

Robina Qureshi, director of Positive Action in Housing, previously described the evictions as "immoral, irresponsible and frankly dangerous".

She said: "All our efforts this past week have been to avert a humanitarian disaster taking place on our streets as Serco slowly dumps 330 refugees and asylum seekers on to the streets of Glasgow with seven-day notices.

"These notices are being legally challenged in Scotland's highest court, the court of session."

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said these costs should be taken on by the Home Office, and has made repeated calls to Home Secretary Sajid Javid to step in and halt the evictions.

The council is also examining whether it can extend its general power of welfare to help those who face having their locks changed, many of whom are young, single men.

Meanwhile, housing charity Shelter Scotland's housing law service is to represent two of the asylum seekers facing eviction.

Director Graeme Brown said: "Our legal team will be presenting papers to Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday morning along with the legal services agency who act for a third individual to try and get interim orders that will prevent the lock changes threatened to our clients.

"Our clients are actively working with immigration lawyers to resolve their asylum claims. Interim orders temporarily stopping the lock changes will allow this work to continue with our clients having a home to live in."