Asylum seekers are being removed from the barge Bibby Stockholm after Legionella bacteria were found in the water, Sky News reports.
• Also read: Asylum seekers aboard UK ‘floating prison’
• Also read: Britain wants to accommodate 500 migrants on a barge in the English port
All people on board are expected to be relocated to new accommodation as a precaution.
Legionnaires’ disease bacteria, commonly found in water, can cause a serious lung infection known as Legionnaires’ disease. None of the people on the barge showed any signs of illness.
AFP
Immigration Secretary Robert Jenrick is reportedly chairing meetings on the situation.
The first 15 asylum seekers boarded the barge in Portland, Dorset on Monday and a small number also arrived on Tuesday.
AFP
The barge’s capacity is over 500. The move has been welcomed by the government as a deterrent to small boat crossings.
The Bibby Stockholm is one of several alternative locations that the Home Office is using to end the use of expensive hotels for asylum seekers.