Migrant barge: Portland plan dubbed 'cruel' by campaigners

The 222-bedroom, three-storey vessel will house about 500 migrants when it is in position in Portland Port

Plans to house 500 migrants in a barge off the Dorset coast are "cruel and inhumane", more than 40 organisations and campaigners have said.

The Bibby Stockholm is due to arrive in Portland, Dorset, where it will accommodate men claiming asylum.

In an open letter to barge owner Bibby Marine, groups including the Refugee Council said it would have "detention-like conditions".

Bibby Marine said the barge would be "practical, safe, and comfortable".

The 222-room, three-storey barge is due in Portland Harbour in "early July" as part of the government's policy to reduce the £6m daily cost of accommodating migrants.

The Home Office said such accommodation would be "cheaper and more manageable for communities".

Forty organisations and individuals signed the open letter, including Refugee Action, City of Sanctuary UK, the Institute for Race Relations, Praxis, the Helen Bamber Foundation and Lib Dem peer Baroness Brinton.

A protest rally was held in opposition of the barge in May

The letter described the use of the vessel as "entirely inappropriate" and called on the company to withdraw from its charter agreement.

"We believe that containing people who have been through traumatising experiences, especially on a floating vessel, is cruel and inhumane," the letter said.

"Those who will be contained on the barge are not criminals; they are seeking protection in the UK.

"The barge is not officially to be used as a prison or detention vessel, yet people will be held in detention-like conditions with severe restrictions on freedom of movement."

Bibby Marine said it had provided similar accommodation barges for military, industrial and construction workers.

"Accommodation barges are a cost effective, flexible solution for a variety of accommodation needs and those staying on the Bibby Stockholm will be provided with a quality, comfortable and safe place to stay," it said.

The Bibby Stockholm has previously been used to house homeless people and asylum seekers in Germany and the Netherlands

The government has said those on board would be "non-detained", with no curfew, although they would have to comply with the port's security standards.

"We are involving the local voluntary sector to organise activities that keep those being accommodated engaged, plus, there will be exercise and communal recreational facilities to support their well-being, alongside transport to and from the port," it said.

Last month, Dorset Council dropped plans for a legal challenge over the barge plans.

The council said it believed legal action would be unlikely to succeed and incur high costs for taxpayers.

In May, protesters held a rally opposing the arrival of the barge.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has also previously called for it to be delayed.