All 39 asylum seekers aboard the Bibby Stockholm were evacuated this week after detecting traces of legionella. Credit: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
Council said it had informed the Home Office of the Legionella bacteria found on the UK's first asylum barge three days before the evacuation of 39 migrants as a fiasco game broke out.As a result of the disaster, asylum seekers housed on the Bibby Stockholm, docked at Portland Port in Dorset, were evacuated on Friday, just five days after their arrival, when tests revealed traces of Legionella bacteria in the water supply.
Tests were carried out on 25 July by Dorset Council's environmental health department, but initial results were not received until last Monday, 7 August, after permission was given that day to allow migrants to board the barge and the first arrivals. .
A government source expressed concern as to why it took the council two days to alert the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which was not notified until Wednesday evening.
Dorset Council said it had “verbally” reported to the Interior Ministry on Tuesday. The Council said the discovery of Legionella on the barge was mentioned in a meeting late Tuesday night, which was attended by a junior Home Office official along with the contractors.
Dorset Council opposed plans to house migrants on a barge and planned to take legal action against her before deciding it would be too expensive and unlikely to succeed.
Legionella detection means it will take few weeks. before asylum seekers can be transported back to the barge from the hotels, currently costing the government £6m a day to house 51,000 migrants.
Fusco prompted senior Conservative MPs to accuse the Home Office of “incompetence”. and even led to repeated calls for a spin off of the sprawling department, separating immigration from its other responsibilities of law enforcement, crime, counterterrorism and security.
The Telegraph has set a timeline that raises questions about whether why ministers were kept in the dark for so long and how asylum seekers could be at risk.
Dorset Council said it had informed barge contractors of traces of legionella. on trials on August 7 “as the responsible authority for the barge hired by the Ministry of the Interior”.
He confirmed that he had received the preliminary test report on the same day, but said that the barge's contractors had an obligation to operate it safely .
Asked why migrants were allowed on the barge without test results, it said: “Dorset Council cannot and has not decided whether migrants can be placed on the barge.”
Demonstrators protesting against Bibby Stockholm made their feelings clear to Bill Reeves, chief executive of the Port of Portland. Credit: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
The company said it discussed the test results with the barge contractor on August 8, but a second site visit on August 9 raised “control concerns” on the barge and it was decided to notify the UKHSA.The agency told The Telegraph it was not informed by Dorset council until 5pm on 9 August, when a “multilateral incident management meeting” was convened on the morning of 10 August, including at the Home Office.
However, officials The interior ministries did not notify the ministers until the evening of 10 August. Six more asylum seekers were believed to have boarded the barge on the same day.
The UKHSA told the Home Office that no more asylum seekers should be allowed on board, meaning six had to be removed on 10 August. However, after being warned, the ministers decided to go ahead and ordered the evacuation of all 39 people.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick is believed to have told the two barge contractors that they need to be more careful. transparent in the future.
Legionella is a “common problem”
Industry insiders say legionella bacteria is a common problem on ships. The test results were thought to have revealed only minor traces.
Legionella can cause serious illness in people over the age of 50, smokers, and people with underlying medical conditions. The death rate from contracting Legionnaires' disease is as high as 10 percent. The bacteria multiply when the water temperature is between 25°C and 50°C, and when there is poor or no water flow to the water supply.
The Home Office said no migrants have become ill or have legionnaires developed. Asylum seekers were evacuated at 7:00 pm last Friday and taken to hotels believed to be two hours away.
Ministers suggest that Bibby Stockholm will accommodate 500 migrants, but this is already postponed for a month. due to longer than anticipated repairs, bad weather and safety checks.
This is one of three mass accommodation sites that have reduced the cost of hotels for migrants by 6 million pounds per day. The other two are former RAF bases.
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