AN adviser to Theresa May during her time at the Home Office has deleted his Twitter account amid a row over the controversial "go home or face arrest" immigration vans.

Nick Timothy had claimed in his column for the Telegraph this week that the decision to approve the widely criticised vans was made while May, then Home Secretary, was on holiday.

However, a former senior Home Office official has since told Business Insider that May was consulted about the vans – and asked that they be "toughened up".

Their role in creating the "hostile environment" for illegal immigrants that was part of UK Government policy has returned to the spotlight, with wider immigration issues such as the Windrush scandal and the treatment of those such as Olya Merry in Scotland hitting headlines.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon vows to fight Theresa May's 'hostile' visa system

May's former chief of staff, who resigned in 2017, had written in his column: "As Home Secretary, Theresa May was criticised for the notorious 'go home or face arrest' vans that were deployed in 2013.

"In fact, she blocked the proposal, but it was revived and approved in a communications plan while she was on holiday. She killed off the scheme later that year, but by yhen the damage had been done."

The Home Office source explained that May had been been more than aware of the vile tactics employed – and asked that they go further.

The source said: "A submission had gone to the Home Secretary outlining what was happening with the vans.

"An email came back that said the Home Secretary had been spoken to on holiday in Switzerland and the wording was slightly changed. It had been toughened up slightly."

The source added that Timothy was "either being untruthful or forgetful".

The former adviser faced a backlash in the replies of his tweet claiming May had not been aware of the decision, after the facts emerged.

Timothy has since deleted his account on the site, with his handle having been @nickjtimothy.