A farmer from Eritrea who was in the Manston processing centre in Kent has told Sky News he slept on cardboard and was given cold hot dogs for lunch.
The 29-year-old, who asked to be referred to as Samuel, said it wasn’t what he was expecting after crossing the Channel by small boat in September and paying smugglers more than $5,000 (£4,400).
Samuel said he was cold and hungry and couldn’t sleep.
And, after more than a year travelling from Eritrea, he said he was unable to have a warm shower during his four days at the immigration centre.
“They gave me cake for breakfast, hot dog for lunch and for dinner chips. For me, it was bad. The food was cold and small. I was very hungry,” he said.
“We didn’t have toilet paper. The toilets were dirty.”
He said asylum seekers looked for cardboard to sleep on, as they didn’t have mattresses.
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Samuel, who told us he fled from Eritrea to avoid military service, said conditions improved when he was moved to other accommodation in London.
He said: “When people come, they need food and safety and warmth. I came here to the UK for freedom and peace.”
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Image: The overcrowding at Manston is understood to have eased in recent days
Home Office minister Chris Philp this week underlined what a divisive issue migration is when he said asylum seekers had “a bit of a cheek” for complaining about conditions at Manston, which have been described as “wretched”.
The Home Office says it has reduced overcrowding and Manston is now understood to be a few hundred over its 1,200 capacity.
After well over a week of criticism over its “broken” immigration system, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has announced the national roll-out of a scheme to speed up asylum applications.
Ms Braverman said: “It is not right that the British people are picking up a £2bn bill every year because the asylum system has been broken by an unprecedented wave of illegal migration.
“We still have a long way to go, but these steps show our commitment to tackling the asylum backlog. Processing claims more quickly will help remove those who illegally come here from safe countries, while also ensuring those in genuine need receive our protection.
“There is no one silver bullet, but we are redoubling our efforts on multiple fronts to tackle this unacceptable situation.”
Image: The home secretary has announced a scheme to speed up asylum applications
Braverman ‘has got the message’
The Home Office says it is streamlining processes and increasing the number of asylum caseworkers.
There are currently 100,000 asylum seekers waiting for a decision on their claim.
Kent MP Roger Gale, who has Manston in his constituency, told Sky News: “The home secretary came down and saw the situation for herself on Thursday, and spent a considerable amount of time with me at the facility.
“I think for the home secretary, that was an eye-opener. I think she’s got the message.
“We’ve got to get to grips with the processing of the asylum claims on the one hand, and separately, we’ve also got to find a long-term, pan-European international solution to an international problem.”
Two people who died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness have been named by police.
Lincolnshire Police said 48-year-old Lee Baker and his 10-year-old daughter Esme Baker, both from the Nottingham area, were killed in the blaze.
However, formal identification is still yet to take place and “could take some time”, the force said.
Emergency services were alerted to a fire at Golden Beach Holiday Park, in the village of Ingoldmells, at 3.53am on Saturday.
In a statement issued through police, a member of the Baker family said: “Lee and Esme were excited to be spending the first weekend of the holidays together.
“We are all utterly devastated at what’s happened.
“This loss is incomprehensible at the moment, and we ask for people to give us space to process this utterly heartbreaking loss.”
A GoFundMe page set up for the victims’ family described the father and daughter as “two peas in a pod” who were “both happy-go-lucky people who loved life”. It has so far raised more than £3,000.
The police force, together with Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, are continuing to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Detective Inspector Lee Nixon said: “We believe we might be close to arriving at a working hypothesis.
“We are working hard to validate the facts available to us to be able to provide answers for the family and loved ones of those who were very tragically taken by this fire.
“Yet the evident intensity of the fire has made this task incredibly challenging.”
Dan Moss, from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family at this time.
“Our Fire Investigation Team is working with colleagues from Lincolnshire Police, and a full investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
“Once investigations are complete, local fire crews and our community fire safety team will be on hand to talk to people in the area and address any fire safety concerns they may have, at what will be an upsetting time.”
A man has been arrested by police investigating a “significant” wildfire that triggered a major incident in Northern Ireland.
More than 100 firefighters and 15 fire appliances were deployed on Saturday to Sandbank Road, Hilltown, to tackle the blaze which is believed to have been caused deliberately, fire chiefs said.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire had a front of approximately two miles “including a large area of forestry close to property”.
It was extinguished at 2.53am on Sunday and the major incident status lifted, the NIFRS said.
“The cause of this fire is believed to have been deliberate,” chief fire and rescue officer Aidan Jennings said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Sunday that a 25-year-old man had been arrested “on suspicion of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, and non-related driving offences”.
“He remains in custody at this time as enquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire,” the force added.
Image: The wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown. Pic: Sky Watch NI
Image: More than 100 firefighters were at the scene of the fire. Pic: Sky Watch NI
On Saturday, helicopters were deployed to tackle Scotland’s fourth wildfire this week, with police saying a blaze “which started in the Newton Stewart area has spread northwards and is expected to reach the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire around 12am on Sunday”.
Police Scotland added: “As a precautionary measure members of the public are asked to avoid the Loch Doon area and anyone who may be camping in the area is advised to leave.”
Image: Moors Valley Country Park blackened by fires this week
Elsewhere in England, Devon and Cornwall Police said they were assisting the fire service with temporary road closures on the A30 in the Bolventor area as they tackle “a number of fires” on moorland.
In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out there on Wednesday.
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Wildfires spread across nature reserve
Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath in Poole on Wednesday, and nearby Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.
Friday was officially the warmest day of the year so far – with temperatures in the south of England reaching 23C (73.4F) – the highest since 21 September last year, according to the Met Office.
Police are investigating after a man was shot dead in County Durham.
Officers were called to an address in Elm Street, Stanley, at about 5.20pm on Saturday after reports of a “disturbance”, Durham Constabulary said.
A man in his 50s was found to have been shot and despite the efforts of paramedics he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His family have been told and are being supported by specially trained officers.
Specialist crime scene investigators are at the scene, and officers are carrying out house-to-house enquiries.
A cordon is in place and is expected to stay there for some time.
Detective Superintendent Neil Fuller said: “This is a truly shocking incident in which a man has been shot and has sadly died.”
He added: “Residents may see an increased police presence in the area. I would like to thank them for their support while we carry out this investigation.
“Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time.”