Deadly bacteria outbreak forces all migrants off barge Bibby Stockholm after four days

A deadly bacteria outbreak forced all migrants off the barge Bibby Stockholm after just four days. Government immigration plans descended into chaos when Legionella bacteria were discovered in the water supply.

The Home Office has confirmed it is deporting the 39 asylum seekers who boarded the ship, moored at Portland Harbor in Dorset, as a "precautionary measure". Officials said no one got sick or developed Legionnaires' disease, which is a potentially deadly type of pneumonia.

The emergency evacuation came after Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick dismissed health and safety concerns on Wednesday, saying the barge was "perfectly decent accommodation". Campaigners have demanded that ministers abandon the use of the ship once and for all.

The Mirror understands that the Home Office was notified of the Legionella finding on Wednesday evening, but continued to move six other asylum seekers onto the barge on Thursday. Following advice from the UK Health Security Agency, these six people were evacuated that evening, before everyone else was evicted on Friday.

Ministers had planned a series of announcements this week to show they were trying to fix the broken immigration system on what they had dubbed 'Stop The Boats Week', but it turned into a farce . The government was forced to scrap a silly idea to send migrants 4,000 miles away to Ascension Island just hours after it was announced. Conservative Vice President Lee Anderson sparked outrage when he told asylum seekers to 'go back to France', later admitting the government had 'failed' to tackle the illegal immigration. A £400,000 Home Office drone used to monitor boats in the English Channel has crashed into the sea.

The 39 migrants were removed from the barge as a precaution (

Picture:

Getty Images)

Now environmental samples from Bibby Stockholm's water system have shown levels of Legionella bacteria that require further investigation. The bacteria are believed to have originated from the ship's pipes, as the ship's entry points showed no indication of Legionella. Legionella bacteria, which is naturally found in freshwater environments, such as lakes and streams, can cause a serious type of lung infection called Legionnaires' disease. You can get it by inhaling water droplets from things like air conditioning or hot tubs. None of the people on board the barge showed any signs of illness.

Last night the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advised the Home Office to deport the six asylum seekers who arrived on the ship yesterday. As an additional temporary precaution to reduce the health risk as much as possible, the Home Office will remove the 39 asylum seekers from the ship to other accommodation for asylum seekers. The department is now awaiting the results of the follow-up tests which have been carried out on the water system by Dorset Council environmental health officers. UKHSA will provide further advice after further test results are received.