An MP has launched a last-ditch attempt to stop an accommodation barge being used to house 500 male asylum seekers, after it belatedly arrived at a port on the Dorset coast today to jeers from protesters who shouted and waved placards.
The Bibby Stockholm – a three-storey and 300ft-long accommodation vessel – was pulled by a tug into Portland this morning, one day after setting sail from Falmouth.
The proposals to use the boat to house migrants under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak‘s bid to ‘stop the boats’ crossing the English Channel are a month behind schedule.
Downing Street confirmed today that Bibby Stockholm will start housing asylum seekers within the next fortnight, with the boat now undergoing ‘final inspections’.
But the move has triggered protests from locals who are fearful over the impact the new arrivals will have on the town’s community, with residents holding signs today saying ‘No To The Barge’, ‘Portland Port Betrays Portland’ and ‘Portland Betrayed’.
Chris Loder, the Conservative MP for West Dorset, has now written to the Home Office in an effort to stop the plans over concerns for the safety of the barge.
He said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency had failed to confirm whether experts have carried out a risk and safety assessment and ensured it is fit for purpose.
Another local politician has slammed the plans as ‘cruel and unusual’ amid concerns that community does not have the infrastructure to house more people in the area.
They fear that already overstretched services such as GP surgeries will not be able to cope with the influx of 506 men, who will be able to come and go as they wish.
They will be given a free mobile phone if they do not already have one and will have access to healthcare on the barge. A free hourly bus service will also be laid on to transport them out of the port to Portland and to the nearby resort of Weymouth.
But locals are worried about an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour, risk to their personal safety and the impact on tourism.
