BRITAIN is taking a group of asylum seekers off a barge just days after moving them onto the vessel because Legionella bacteria was found in the water supply.
The government began moving the asylum seekers onto the Bibby Stockholm, a barge anchored off Dorset on the south coast, earlier this week as part of its high-profile strategy to deter people from arriving in the country on small boats.
The policy was controversial before it got underway. Ministers said they wanted to reduce the cost of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels, while human rights campaigners compared the barge to a prison ship and said its use was inhumane.
"Environmental samples from the water system on the Bibby Stockholm (barge) have shown levels of Legionella bacteria which require further investigation," a spokesperson at the Home Office said.
"As a precautionary measure, all 39 asylum seekers who arrived on the vessel this week are being disembarked while further assessments are undertaken."
The hulking three-story barge can house around 500 people in more than 200 bedrooms, and more people had been expected to be moved in over the coming weeks.
The bacteria discovered in the water supply can cause Legionnaires' disease, a lung infection that the British health service describes as uncommon but "very serious".
The government said nobody onboard had presented with symptoms of the disease, and that it was working closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and following its advice.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak's government has spent the week making announcements about its efforts to reduce the number of asylum seekers, hoping to win support from voters as the ruling Conservative Party trails in opinion polls.
Sunak has made cracking down on illegal immigration one of his five main priorities and hopes a fall in arrivals might help his party pull off an unexpected win at the next national election.
The opposition Labour Party said on Friday (11): "The Conservatives have slogans and gimmicks, but no real solutions."
(Reuters)
Bacteria in water prompts removal of migrants from barge
The bacteria can cause a lung infection that the health service describes as ‘very serious'
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)