The barge is part of the government’s plan to cut the cost of housing asylum seekers
By Sophie Cridland & Marcus White
BBC News
Asylum seekers who were formerly housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge have expressed their “shock and fear” in an open letter to the government.
The Dorset vessel was evacuated earlier this month when traces of Legionella bacteria were found.
In the letter, the men express their trauma over the discovery as well as an increased sense of “isolation and loneliness” since leaving the barge.
The BBC is seeking a response from the Home Office.
Image source, PA Media
The vessel has so far housed 39 migrants
The letter, apparently written by an individual on behalf of others, says one man attempted to take his own life after leaving the barge, which is moored at Portland Port.
It says: “Currently, we are staying in an old and abandoned hotel.
“The sense of isolation and loneliness has taken over us, and psychological and emotional pressures have increased significantly.
“We even lack the desire to live and perform any tasks. The absence of tranquillity, comfort and basic needs has become our daily concerns.”
- If you have been affected by issues in this article there is help and support at BBC Action Line.
The BBC understands the letter was written by some of the 39 migrants, in collaboration with migrant support group Portland Global Friendship Group.
It calls for more support from the Home Office and for the migrants’ cases to be made a priority.
It claims: “Also, in a tragic incident, one of the asylum seekers attempted suicide, but we acted promptly and prevented this unfortunate event.”
The barge is part of the government’s plan to cut the cost of housing asylum seekers and deter dangerous Channel crossings by migrants.
It previously said there were currently about 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels across the UK – having gone up by 3,000 since the end of March, costing the taxpayer about £6m a day.
Ministers intend to house about 500 men on the vessel while they await the outcome of asylum applications.
The 222-room, three-storey barge, chartered by the government for 18 months, arrived at the port in July.
Watch: Inside the housing barge after first asylum seekers board
The barge was previously used to accommodate homeless people and asylum seekers in Germany and the Netherlands.
The Home Office previously said “using vessels as alternative accommodation, like our European neighbours are already doing, will be better value for British taxpayers and more manageable for communities than costly hotels”.
However, human rights group Amnesty International compared the Bibby Stockholm to “prison hulks from the Victorian era”, saying it was an “utterly shameful way to house people who’ve fled terror, conflict and persecution”.
The government previously said there were currently about 51,000 “destitute migrants” in hotels across the UK, costing the taxpayer more than £6m a day.
The BBC has not been able to verify any of the claims in the letter.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.
