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Thirty child asylum-seekers in Leeds were wrongly categorised as adults by the Home Office, according to a council report.

The youngsters, all of whom are thought to have come to the UK without parents, were placed in hotels in the city with adult strangers as a result of the error.

While unaccompanied children who arrive in the country are supposed to be placed in the care of a local council, some adults risk deportation or being sent to Rwanda, if the government can overturn a court judgement which ruled the policy unlawful.

The Refugee Council said children had been put at risk of abuse because of “hasty decision-making” by Home Office officials in Kent, who assess the ages of asylum-seekers arriving in small boats from across the Channel.

Thirty child asylum-seekers in Leeds were wrongly categorised as adults by the Home Office, according to a council report (Photo by Chris - stock.adobe.com)

But the government said it was vital adults had no “incentives” to pretend to be children so they can stay in the UK.

Dozens of Leeds child asylum-seekers wrongly classed as adults by the Home Office