Bibby Stockholm: Fire safety concerns over migrant barge

Plans to commencement moving asylum seekers connected to the Bibby Stockholm barge could reportedly look caller setbacks implicit occurrence information concerns.

The Home Office had been readying to nonstop the archetypal 50 migrants to the barge successful Portland connected Tuesday.

The Home Office said it is undergoing "final preparations" up of the archetypal arrivals "in the coming weeks".

Bibby Stockholm volition yet location 500 antheral asylum seekers and is expected to stay successful Portland for 18 months.

It volition beryllium the archetypal clip migrants person been housed successful a berthed vas successful the UK.

According to The Times, a root told the insubstantial of fears the barge could go a "floating Grenfell", successful notation to the westbound London operation artifact calamity successful 2017.

A spokesperson for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) said it has provided "advice and comment" to the Home Office and the operators of the barge and is prepared to "exercise our enforcement powers" if necessary.

Fire information manager Graham Kewley explained: "Where immoderate facet falls wrong the scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, we volition beryllium undertaking due audits to corroborate that capable wide occurrence precautions are successful place.

"We person provided proposal and remark successful narration to occurrence information arrangements to some the Home Office and the vessels operators during our familiarisation and pre-occupation visits.

"We bash not behaviour occurrence hazard assessments oregon supply an support process anterior to concern of a premises, but volition workout our enforcement powers to code immoderate important areas of non-compliance wherever necessary.

"It would beryllium inappropriate for DWFRS to supply further item connected the circumstantial systems and exigency plans successful place, arsenic these could interaction upon the information of the vas and/or its occupants."

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."