London. A small group of asylum seekers have been transferred to a barge anchored in the south of England as the British government tries to reduce the cost of sheltering people seeking protection in the country, local media reported on Monday.
The asylum seekers were transferred to the Bibby Stockholm, a barge equipped with temporary accommodation that will ultimately house up to 500 men transferred from hotels or anywhere else in the country. More are expected to arrive later in the day.
The barge, owned by a Swedish company, was previously used to house oil field workers and migrants in other countries.
The UK government wants to use barges and former military bases to house some migrants as the cost of hotel accommodation rises.
Home Secretary Sarah Dines told the BBC that people arriving in the UK by unauthorized means must have “basic but adequate accommodation” and that they “cannot expect to stay in a four-star hotel”.
