Residents Evacuate Houseboat Due to Pathogens

Asylum seekers on board the “Bibby Stockholm” are being asked to vacate the controversial houseboat due to the presence of Legionella bacteria. Despite ongoing criticism of the accommodation, the British government initially insisted on housing migrants there.

This week, for the first time, the UK accommodated 39 migrants on a houseboat on the English coast. Now, they are being asked to leave the accommodation due to the presence of a pathogen.

Samples from the water system revealed Legionella bacteria, requiring further investigation, according to the Home Office. As a precautionary measure, all migrants are being asked to disembark from the barge. Legionella bacteria can cause flu-like symptoms in humans, including severe pneumonia. A spokesperson for the Home Office stated that no one on board exhibited any symptoms.

Refugee aid organization Care4Calais criticized the decision, stating that policymakers must now recognize that housing refugees on barges is “unsustainable,” according to the PA news agency.

London’s Approach of Using Houseboats for Asylum Seekers

The government in London has faced challenges in finding suitable accommodation for asylum seekers. The “Bibby Stockholm” was intended to house up to 500 people while their asylum claims were being processed, allowing Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to solve both the problem of limited space for housing migrants and the high costs of hotel rooms. The first group of men arrived in the southern English town of Portland on Monday. The government plans to use additional similar barges in the future, although the issue of accommodation remains contentious. The Fire Brigades Union described it as a potential death trap.

Previously, the “Bibby Stockholm” served as accommodation for oil workers. In the mid-1990s, it housed asylum seekers and homeless individuals in Hamburg, with a capacity for 200 residents at that time.