New asylum seekers to be moved on to Bibby Stockholm barge after legionella scare

Home Office is expected to start bringing people back to on the barge on Thursday

New groups of asylum seekers have been told that they will be moved onto the Bibby Stockholm barge this week as the government starts returning people after a legionella scare.

Some 39 migrants were moved off the barge in August after the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease was discovered in its water supply.

Those asylum seekers have been told by the Home Office that they will be moved back onto the vessel at Portland Port in Dorset tomorrow and a similar number of asylum seekers are set to board on Friday, The Independent understands, with more joining them on Monday.

It comes after weeks of preparations, health and safety upgrades and new “satisfactory” test results for legionella, which mean the bacteria is no longer on board.

On Tuesday, a supply van was seen delivering food including fresh vegetables to the barge. Local community groups plan to gather at the port on Thursday to welcome the asylum seekers with banners.

It is understood that several groups are planning to protest at the gates to the commercial port and could block coaches as they arrive as a number of campaign groups for refugee rights have continued to hit out at the use of the barge.

Nicola David, of the One Life To Live campaign, said that a letter signed by the 39 men who previously stayed on the barge described how they had found the Bibby Stockholm to be a “terrifying residence” like a prison and had left them feeling “stress and anxiety” with one of the asylum seekers having attempted suicide.

She said: “Nothing about the Bibby Stockholm has gone well – it wasn’t even the Home Office’s first or second choice of barge, so they had to settle for something 50 years old, rotten, and unfit for use.

“The barge had endless delays for repairs, legionella, failed plumbing, and fire safety failure. I discovered that it costs more per head than hotels, not less, so the government’s strategy doesn’t add up. And there are claims going through the High Court.

“The barge has now been empty for months, at a cost to the taxpayer of over £3 million, with asylum-seekers only on board for 4.5 days. In those 4.5 days, the men were so miserable that one attempted suicide.

“Whether you look at it from a humanitarian, legal or cost perspective, this is an idea which should be dropped immediately. We should return to the pre-Covid situation of allowing asylum seekers to live within our communities.”

Matilda Bryce, policy adviser at Freedom From Torture, said: “We’ve warned this government time and time again that packing refugees onto barges is a mental and physical health catastrophe waiting to happen.

“And, after only a few days on board, refugees who were taken off the Bibby in August spoke of the severe and damaging impact it had on them.

An image taken with a drone shows the Bibby Stockholm barge docked in Portland Port, Dorset (EPA)

“It’s time now for the government to listen and urgently refocus its efforts into rebuilding a fair, efficient, and compassionate system that protects, not punishes, people.”

One of the refugees who is set to be moved back onto the Bibby Stockholm said that the barge felt “like a prison”. He said: “In a letter the Home Office sent me they told me I am not a prisoner there and that I am free, but the high walls, strict security measures and restrictions on entry and exit made it feel like a prison and I do not sense freedom there.”

Last week, local councillor Carralyn Parkes, who is mayor of Portland, lost a High Court fight against Home Secretary Suella Braverman over the lawfulness of housing asylum seekers on the barge.

A Home Office spokesperson said previously: “The Home Office has started to send letters to asylum seekers to confirm the re-embarkation of the Bibby Stockholm and notify them that they will be accommodated on board, following the vessel completing all necessary tests.

“The letters confirm the next steps for asylum seekers and reiterate that all asylum accommodation continues to be offered on a no-choice basis.

“Delivering alternative accommodation sites, such as the vessel, is more affordable for taxpayers and more manageable for communities, due to healthcare and catering facilities on site, 24/7 security and the purpose-built safe accommodation they provide.”