Some have branded it a ‘flotel’, others a ‘prison ship’ – what will life be like for those on board and will it solve the hotel conundrum?
The first asylum seekers are due to arrive at the Bibby Stockholm barge tomorrow, where they will receive goody bags from locals, including a phone-a-friend hotline if they want to chat.
The well-intentioned gifts, including basic toiletries, and map and reporter-style notebooks and pens, stem from the community’s concerns to support the asylum seekers – even though they believe they are in the wrong place and should never have been despatched to the seaside town of Portland near Weymouth in Dorset.
They want to ease the arrival of the first 20 or more asylum seekers, whose first sight of the barge will come as they are bussed through two sets of security gates: one at the entrance to the busy private port of Portland and the second on entry to their quayside compound, which is surrounded by 20ft high metal fencing.
Walking up the gangway, they will go through airport-style security scans and an arched metal detector before being issued with ID swipe cards to log in and out. They will then be led to their 12ft by 12ft cabins, which they will share two, four or six to a room with bunk beds and en suite shower and toilet for up to nine months.