CAMPAIGNERS have launched a fight to save a Southampton man from deportation.

Southampton Mencap has said the man, known only as Asan, will be deported on Wednesday back to Romania after the Home Office ruled on Thursday that he had no legal right to stay in the UK.

The Daily Echo understands that he was brought up in an orphanage in Romania and then fell into exploitation due to his learning disability.

He was then trafficked to England in June 2014 to be used in modern slavery.

However, he was rescued by a Birmingham-based charity and put into a safehouse before moving to Southampton in June 2015.

He has since been helped by Southampton City Council through a halfway housing scheme and the staff at Mencap where he attended their day services and learnt life skills including literacy and numeracy.

He also undertook work experience at Longdown Activity Farm in the New Forest to work with the animals.

Asan told the Daily Echo that the decision had been very unfair and his time in the UK had been fantastic.

Now, Southampton Mencap bosses are urging the Home Office to change their decision.

Chief officer Alex Illes said: “The Home Office have been very unfair with the decision that has been made. We as an organisation have not been consulted at all and we don’t believe that Asan’s best interests have been taken into account.”

Alex added that Asan’s had no idea of the reality of of the situation when he got back to Romania.

Rev Brian Strevens, a trustee of Southampton Mencap, said: “It’s deeply shocking and disturbing that the Home Office has made this very arbitrary decision. We condemn it.

“We have worked with social services to provide the young gentlemen with a place to work and life, he was making a contribution to the community.”

Meg Sherman, campaign facilitator, said: “Deportation steals lives. It would be a travesty if social cleansing along the lines of government ideology made life harder for Asan, to play to their agenda to make us blame our neighbours for their mistakes.”

The Home Office declined to comment last night.