An asylum seeker taken off the Bibby Stockholm barge following the invention of Legionella micro organism says the federal government is “endangering” migrants and treating them like “less than animals”.
The man, who we’re not naming, spoke to Sky News outdoors the lodge he was moved to following the evacuation by the Home Office on Friday night time.
He boarded the barge on Wednesday and mentioned he’s frightened about falling in poor health after consuming the water onboard.
“We bathe with it, we drink it. We were told at 6pm on Friday,” he mentioned.
“I really feel so dangerous. Especially as a result of on the information they mentioned they took water samples however as a substitute of ready for (a) end result earlier than placing individuals on there, they simply put us on there: it is like we do not matter.
“They should have been so sure it is habitable. Why not wait for the result and be sure everything is okay? We are being treated like less than animals. They are endangering us.”
Sky News witnessed safety at his new lodge stating journalists to any migrants leaving.
The asylum seeker we spoke to arrived within the UK in December and was certainly one of 39 males who have been placed on the barge final week – earlier than the federal government eliminated them as a precautionary measure on Friday.
“I’m not happy about it,” he mentioned. “I’m deeply sad. Because if they had cared about us enough, if they had known since Monday, they shouldn’t have put us there: why did they still put us there?”
He added: “I’m worried about becoming ill. Here I’m all alone. I don’t have family.”
Describing what it’s like on board, he advised Sky News: “For me it’s small, like being on a prison, because the security is too much. There’s no freedom. For me I have a fear of water. I can’t swim. Me being on water, my heart palpitates. I can’t sleep.”
He mentioned a nurse within the lodge was checking on residents, however he was not conscious of anybody exhibiting indicators of Legionnaires’ illness.
The Home Office mentioned not one of the migrants on the barge had proven any signs of the illness.
The Legionella outbreak has prompted a blame sport between Dorset Council, contractors on the barge and the Home Office about who was notified and when.
The council went on to say a Home Office employees member was knowledgeable in regards to the micro organism on Tuesday.
However, a authorities supply beforehand advised Sky News there was no document of this dialog, and claimed the Home Office solely obtained a written notification in regards to the Legionella on Wednesday night.
Read extra:
Rishi Sunak nonetheless has ‘confidence’ in house secretary regardless of Legionella discovery
Asylum seekers ought to be moved again on the barge regardless of row over Legionella, well being secretary says
Dorset Council has mentioned Home Office contractors have been notified in regards to the outcomes final Monday – 4 days earlier than individuals have been moved off the barge.
Downing Street repeatedly mentioned the federal government had acted shortly after being knowledgeable in regards to the traces of Legionella micro organism.
Source: information.sky.com”