PEOPLE should be allowed to welcome Syrian refugees by letting them stay in their homes, a housing campaign insisted yesterday after the government rejected the idea.

Downing Street ruled out using “refugee hosting” to house Syrians fleeing war.

Commons home affairs committee chair Keith Vaz has called for this decision to be reversed, as Britain might not be “prepared” for the 20,000 refugees that will be permitted to resettle here by 2020.

A Glasgow-based charity is already seeing the benefits of refugee hosting, having placed asylum-seekers in more than 2,100 homes, houses and spare rooms across Britain.

Positive Action in Housing director Robina Qureshi said this showed that “the true capacity of this country to take in refugees right now is much higher than the British government wants to admit.

“We have the capacity to assist refugees… People and housing providers are desperate to assist now.”