Bibby Stockholm: Asylum barge not a death trap, minister Grant Shapps says

A arguable barge that volition location hundreds of asylum seekers is not a "death trap" a authorities curate says aft caller information checks delayed the accomplishment of its archetypal inhabitants.

Cabinet curate Grant Shapps told reporters determination was nary crushed wherefore the barge "wouldn't beryllium perfectly safe".

The comments travel aft the Fire Brigades Union raised concerns astir imaginable overcrowding and occurrence exits.

Asylum seekers are improbable to determination to the Bibby Stockholm until adjacent week.

The barge is simply a cardinal portion of the government's strategy to deter migrants from arriving connected Britain's shores successful tiny boats, and ministers accidental it volition assistance chopped the £6m-a-day outgo of lodging asylum seekers successful hotels portion claims are processed.

"It surely won't beryllium a decease trap," Mr Shapps said.

"This existent vessel was antecedently utilized by Germany to location migrants, there's nary crushed wherefore it wouldn't beryllium perfectly safe.

"Ships are utilized to transport radical each the clip and there's nary inherent crushed wherefore that would beryllium the case. That's really wherefore these last information checks are being carried out."

Some 50 migrants were expected to get connected committee the vas - moored astatine Dorset's Portland Port - connected Tuesday, nevertheless the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it was penning to the authorities aft its members raised superior concerns astir imaginable overcrowding and entree to occurrence exits.

Ben Selby, the FBU's adjunct wide secretary, told the Guardian: "As the lone nonrecreational voice, firefighters judge the Bibby Stockholm to beryllium a imaginable decease trap."

A Home Office root said a precocious practice from the Health and Safety Executive to cheque moving practices for larboard unit was the crushed for the latest hold - and not occurrence information concerns.

Transport curate Richard Holden said connected Tuesday helium could not enactment a timeframe connected erstwhile the asylum seekers would commencement arriving.

Groups supporting the asylum seekers, immoderate of whom are staying astatine hotels successful Bournemouth portion they hold to beryllium moved, person called connected the authorities to scrap the barge program altogether.

Enver Solomon, main Executive of the Refugee Council, said determination was nary nexus betwixt making the asylum strategy "harder" and "stopping radical wanting to travel here".

"The crushed the authorities is having to usage this barge - and it is perfectly the incorrect program successful the incorrect spot - is due to the fact that it has grossly mismanaged the asylum system," helium told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"There is simply a backlog of 150,000 cases and if determination wasn't that backlog the authorities wouldn't person to usage ships."

Tony Smith, erstwhile manager wide of UK Border Force, told the BBC: "The bigger occupation for maine is the deficiency of returns oregon removals.

"We are not truly returning precise galore radical astatine each truthful they cognize that if they tally into a smuggler connected the beaches successful France they cognize they are going to beryllium told 'give america 5,000 euros' and you cognize erstwhile you are across, Bob's your uncle - you are location and dry.

"So truly we bash request to get removals going."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Delivering accommodation connected surplus subject sites and vessels volition supply cheaper and much orderly, suitable accommodation for those arriving successful tiny boats.

"The Bibby Stockholm is present undergoing last preparations to guarantee it complies with each due regulations earlier the accomplishment of the archetypal asylum seekers successful the coming weeks."