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Migrants housed on barges face 'code of conduct' and will be kicked out if they break rules

The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge arrives into Falmouth docks, Cornwall - PA
The Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge arrives into Falmouth docks, Cornwall - PA

Migrants on barges will be subject to a Government-imposed code of conduct - and face eviction and even loss of public funds if they fail to abide by it and misbehave, The Telegraph can reveal.

The code is designed to prevent anti-social behaviour and will apply not only onboard but when migrants leave and travel into town for visits, a senior Home Office official has told residents in Portland, Dorset, the site for the first barge.

The official, speaking to residents via Zoom at a public meeting, said the asylum seekers would be free to come and go, just as they are allowed to do in asylum hotels, but would be “escorted” in and out of the secure port at Portland like holidaymakers “disembarking from a cruise ship”.

They will also have sport and cultural activities laid on by the Home Office, although the official admitted they had yet to draw up a programme of activities as they aimed to tailor them to the needs of the first arrivals, due within the next fortnight.

The barge - the Bibby Stockholm - is currently being refitted at a dry dock in Falmouth before being towed to Portland around June 17 ready to take its first migrants. It is due to remain at the port for at least 18 months after which the official hoped the Home Office “won’t have a need for it”.

The three-storey vessel will house around 500 migrants - PA
The three-storey vessel will house around 500 migrants - PA

Migrants will be expected to sign the code of conduct, which stipulates the behaviour expected of them including respect for others, no violence or abuse, obeying rules such as no smoking inside the barge, and remaining within a secure area to be set up around the vessel.

Failure to abide by the code could lead to removal from the barge or withdrawal of support comprising food, housing and cash of £9.10 a week in line with asylum accommodation that includes meals. A Government source stressed such action could not be ruled out and would be considered on a “case by case” basis.

The official told the 200 residents at the meeting in All Saints Church in Portland: “We are expecting minimal impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in the area. There will be a code of conduct for all those aboard outlining the behaviour expected on board and away from the barge.”

They will be free to leave the port for up to seven consecutive days and nights at a time or for 14 calendar days and nights within any six-month period - the same conditions as apply in hotels. There will be no curfew if they go out but migrants who stay out will be called to check on their welfare.

The port owners are insisting the asylum seekers will only be allowed to leave the port by bus which will take them to pre-arranged drop-off points including locations for activities and voluntary work.

The Home Office official said: “They can leave whenever they want, but as with anyone coming into a port - it is a dangerous environment - all people who don’t work there will have to be escorted, just as people on cruise ships have to be escorted off. They will have the same freedoms as if they were in hotels or the community.”

The barge was designed with 220 single rooms, but has been refitted to accommodate up to 500 migrants. “The space is fully in-line with international standards,” said the official.

“They will be shared bedrooms with an ensuite. It is basic accommodation but still to a good standard. There is a dining room, kitchens, communal areas of different types, there will be an exercise area.”

Asylum seekers will be able to leave the barge whenever they want - Getty Images Europe
Asylum seekers will be able to leave the barge whenever they want - Getty Images Europe

Only single male asylum seekers who have been in the UK since March and with known medical and vaccination histories will be allowed on the barge. There will be medical facilities on board to deal with minor ailments but they would need to register with local GPs for anything more serious, said the official.

They will have access to legal advice and Wi-Fi, while there will be 24/7 police cover, with the Home Office providing Dorset police with extra funding. “The first intake will be relatively small to test the arrangements with small numbers of people in the first few months,” said the official.

“This [use of barges or ships for migrants] has been done successfully in the past in Scotland and Holland. The concerns that this is a prison are unfounded, it will be a basic standard of accommodation,” said the official.

“This is very much a temporary situation. The Government is taking steps to reduce the inflow and speed up processing of claims to reduce the backlog. Within a year to 18 months we hopefully won’t have a need for it.”

The Bibby Stockholm will be followed by two cruise ships, each also housing 500, Rishi Sunak announced this week. He also confirmed RAF Scampton and Wethersfield would be converted to take 3,000 migrants this summer although both are subject to legal action by their local councils.

The Government is seeking to cut costs on the 6 million pound a day cost of housing nearly 50,000 asylum seekers in hotels.