Bibby Stockholm: Asylum seekers describe life on barge

Some of the first group of men to board the Bibby Stockholm have described their first days on the barge.

One asylum seeker told the BBC it was like a prison and felt there was not enough room to accommodate up to 500 people onboard, as the government plans.

Another person on board praised the food and called the barge "quite a nice place" with small but "clean and tidy rooms".

The Home Office says the barge will provide better value for the taxpayer as pressure on the asylum system from small boats arrivals continues to grow.

Moored in Portland Port, Dorset, it is the first barge secured under the government's plans to reduce the cost of asylum accommodation.

Monday saw the first 15 asylum seekers board the Bibby Stockholm after a series of delays over safety concerns. It will house men aged 18 to 65 while they await the outcome of their asylum applications.

An Afghan asylum seeker, whom the BBC is not identifying, said: "The sound of locks and security checks gives me the feeling of entering Alcatraz prison.

"My roommate panicked in the middle of the night and felt like he was drowning. There are people among us who have been given heavy drugs for depression by the doctor here."

He said he had been given a small room, and the dining hall had capacity for fewer than 150 people.

"Like a prison, it [the barge] has entrance and exit gates, and at some specific hours, we have to take a bus, and after driving a long distance, we go to a place where we can walk. We feel very bad," the man added.

There is 24/7 security in place on board the Bibby Stockholm and asylum seekers are issued with ID swipe cards and have to pass through airport-style security scans to get on and off.

Asylum seekers are expected to take a shuttle bus to the port exit for security reasons. There is no curfew, but if they aren't back there will be a "welfare call".

The Home Office has said it would support their welfare by providing basic healthcare, organised activities and recreation.

The first group of men arrived on Monday. The Care4Calais charity said it was providing legal support to a further 20 asylum seekers who refused to move to Portland and are challenging the decision.

On Tuesday, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Griffiths, said that moving to the barge was "not a choice" and if people choose not to comply "they will be taken outside of the asylum support system".

"Many of us entered Britain nine to 11 months ago, by airplane. Some of us applied for asylum at the airport. We did not come by boat," the Afghan man said.

"It has been two weeks since we received a letter in which they threatened that if we do not agree to go, our aid and NHS will be cut off.

"There are people among us who take medicine. We accepted. We waited for two weeks and didn't even have time to bring clean clothes."

Two other asylum seekers on board the barge said the "food is good" and described the rooms as "small, but nice, clean and tidy".

The men, aged 19 and 25, said they had arrived in the UK earlier this year by plane, not on a small boat crossing the Channel.

They said they faced religious persecution in their home country, which the BBC is not identifying to protect their anonymity.

They also described a gym and a TV lounge on board.

"The food is good, much better than the hotel," the 25-year-old told BBC News.

The 19-year-old added there is an IT centre inside but they can only use it at allocated times.

"We have indoor games. We have a football ground, small basketball hoops and some board games - it's quite a nice place."

However he said he was not happy on board because he had been removed from a religious community where he had previously been housed.

"I don't say I am happy. But it's okay because I have to be here. I was happy when I was with my people, with my community," he said.

"Our main purpose is to practice our religion."

He added he had requested not to be moved from his hotel on the south coast to the barge, but his request was refused.

"They said that you have to go to the barge. It's basically on a no-choice basis, so you have to come here."

The 19-year-old said he hoped to complete his studies in the UK and become a software developer. The 25-year-old said he wanted to work in international relations.

The government says it is spending £6m per day housing more than 50,000 migrants in hotels.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This marks a further step forward in the government's work to bring forward alternative accommodation options as part of its pledge to reduce the use of expensive hotels and move to a more orderly, sustainable system which is more manageable for local communities."

"This is a tried-and-tested approach that mirrors that taken by our European neighbours, the Scottish government and offers better value for the British taxpayer," they added.

The Home Office says that by the autumn, they aim to house about 3,000 asylum seekers in places that aren't hotels - such as the barge, and former military sites Wethersfield, in Essex, and Scampton, in Lincolnshire.

Additional reporting by Marita Moloney