'No floating prisons' protest against plans to house asylum seekers on barges in Birkenhead

Video report by Granada Reports Correspondent Elaine Willcox

Groups supporting refugees across Merseyside have protested plans to house asylum seekers on barges off Birkenhead.

The demonstration, outside the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool, pleaded with Peel Ports Group not to enter into an agreement with the Government.

The move has also been criticised by a refugee who now calls Merseyside home, who said it could cause isolation which in turn could lead to depression and other illnesses.

The protest comes amid moves by the UK Government to warehouse reportedly up to 1,500 people seeking safety on a vessel berthed at the Wirral Waters development in Birkenhead.

On Monday Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed two more giant vessels will be used as migrant accommodation - but declined to say where they would be located.

According to The Guardian however, the vessels are expected to be placed at docks close to Liverpool.

It is thought that the owners of Peel Ports have been in discussions with the Government about the proposal, but no deal has yet been made.

A spokesman for Wirral Council said: “No decisions have been made and conversations are continuing with the Home Office.”

Kathy Vesey is the Director of Heart 4 Refugees and was at the protest, she said: "Communities are under enough pressure and stress at the moment and to just dump 1,500 men in an area that we have already seen far right groups visiting, they will be back of course they will if we have a vessel in Birkenhead.

"It puts more pressure on our local services, on our police and causes discord."

Sayed Jafar Rastin and his family were not safe in Afghanistan, the former journalist and civil servant has made New Ferry his home after spending two years moving around and living in hotels.

He says getting to know and contribute to their local community has made a huge difference to them. His children are now making friends and going to nursery.

Sayed says that temporary accommodation comes with problems.

"You do not have access to public services and you are isolated and even if you live in a group in a hotel there are limitations and mentally it causes depression and other illnesses," he said.

What the Government has announced

Rishi Sunak has announced two more offshore barges will soon house around 1,000 asylum seekers as part of his aims to cut the number living in hotels and reduce illegal immigration.

The prime minister said illegal Channel crossings have fell this year compared to the same period last year, as he claimed his plan to 'stop the boats' is "starting to work” but there is still a “long way to go”.

Speaking at a press conference in Dover, on Monday 5 June he said: “This is the first time since this problem began that arrivals between January and May have fallen compared to the year before.

He said on top of a barge set to house 500 migrants off the coast of Dorset, there would soon be two more, however it is not yet clear where they will be based.

Asked at the press conference where they would be, he said he'd “wait to announce” that but added the government does “extensive engagement with local communities in advance of other large sites or barges”.

“To reduce pressures on local communities, we’ll also house people on ships, the first will arrive in Portland in the next fortnight and we’ve secured another two today that will accommodate another thousand,” he said.

The Government is expected to confirm which locations will be used for the barges in the coming weeks.

Mick Whitley, the MP for Birkenhead issued a statement saying: “The government’s plans to place asylum seekers on disused ferries and barges are cruel and inhumane, regardless of their location.

"People exercising their legal right to claim asylum deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

"As a Member of Parliament representing one of the proposed sites for these ferries, I want to say very clearly that refugees are welcome here.

"But they deserve better than to be stranded on what amounts to a floating prison ship."

Peel Ports says  any agreement to accommodate a vessel for refugees in Birkenhead will require the willing participation and full collaboration of local agencies.

"We have seen this model work over the course of last year, as we provided a berth for a vessel accommodating refugees in Glasgow.

"This was delivered with the full support of the local agencies working in partnership with the vessel's management and port operations."

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