Asylum seekers return to the Bibby Stockholm barge after legionella scare as protesters block entry

Asylum seekers have been forced to return to the Bibby Stockholm barge ten weeks after a legionella scare forced them to evacuate.

Some 39 migrants were moved off the vessel in August just days after they were moved on after the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease was discovered in its water supply.

But the reboarding of some of the original 39 asylum seekers was disrupted by protesters who tried to block their coaches’ entry to the Portland Port in Dorset. Members of the environmental group Just Stop Oil sat in front of the bus, temporarily stopping traffic.

Some of the asylum seekers, who were originally moved onboard and who have a history of torture and modern slavery, have had their transfers delayed or cancelled because they have brought legal challenges against the government.

More migrants have received notices that they will be moved onto the vessel on Friday and next Monday.

Asylum seekers who were brought to the port on Thursday were greeted by anti-racism protesters holding signs saying “scrap the prison barge”. Care packages prepared by local community groups for the asylum seekers, which included toiletries, were refused by Portland Port, the campaigners said.

Dorset police said that officers at the scene of the Just Stop Oil protest arrested two men on suspicion of criminal damage. A third man was arrested after police received reports of criminal damage to a police vehicle.

“The coach was able to continue its journey after a minor delay,” a spokesperson said.

While the government’s notices to asylum seekers of their move onto the barge in August were unaddressed and sent with little notice, the transfers have been better prepared this time.

Asylum seekers have been given seven days notice of their move and were told that they could seek legal advice.

The new notices made clear that “accommodation is offered on a no-choice basis” and warned migrants that they may have to share a room. They will also be required to sign in and out of the site when they leave and return, the Home Office said.

Steve Smith, the CEO of refugee charity Care 4 Calais, said: “Following legal challenges, the government has made administrative changes to the transfer notices but the problems with the Bibby Stockholm are intractable and cannot be fixed.

“They people who were on the barge during the legionella outbreak have consistently told us that being on board was like being detained in a prison.”

Matilda Bryce, from the charity 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.”

Six Labour MPs have written to the home secretary Suella Braverman to request urgent access to the Bibby Stockholm to assess living conditions on the vessel.

They said: “We are concerned that conditions on the boat will continue to be or grow to be inadequate and potentially dangerous without full transparency and scrutiny. We are also concerned that the barge is in effect or will become a place of quasi-detention rather than safe accommodation.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “From today, we are beginning to move people back on to the Bibby Stockholm in Portland. All necessary tests including health, fire and water checks have been completed, and are all satisfactory.

“The number of people on board will increase gradually with more arrivals in the coming days and months, as part of a carefully structured, phased approach.”