Bibby Stockholm barge: Asylum seeker removed from vessel on which Legionella was found says it is ‘endangering’ lives
An asylum seeker taken off the Bibby Stockholm barge following the discovery of Legionella bacteria says the government is “endangering” migrants and treating them like “less than animals”.
The man, who we are not naming, spoke to Sky News outside the hotel he was moved to following the evacuation by the Home Office on Friday night.
He boarded the barge on Wednesday and said he is worried about falling ill after consuming the water onboard.
“We bathe with it, we drink it. We were told at 6pm on Friday,” he said.
“I feel so bad. Especially because on the news they said they took water samples but instead of waiting for (a) result before putting people on there, they just put us on there: it’s like we don’t 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 security at his new hotel pointing out journalists to any migrants leaving.
The asylum seeker we spoke to arrived in the UK in December and was one of 39 men who were put on the barge last week – before the government removed them as a precautionary measure on Friday.
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‘When was govt told about Legionella?’
“I’m not happy about it,” he said. “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 is like on board, he told 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 said a nurse in the hotel was checking on residents, but he was not aware of anyone showing signs of Legionnaires’ disease.
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Would Labour use barges?
The Home Office said none of the migrants on the barge had shown any symptoms of the disease.
The Legionella outbreak has prompted a blame game between Dorset Council, contractors on the barge and the Home Office about who was notified and when.
The council went on to claim a Home Office staff member was informed about the bacteria on Tuesday.
However, a government source previously told Sky News there was no record of this conversation, and claimed the Home Office only received a written notification about the Legionella on Wednesday evening.
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Dorset Council has said Home Office contractors were notified about the results last Monday – four days before people were moved off the barge.
Downing Street repeatedly said the government had acted quickly after being informed about the traces of Legionella bacteria.
Model Penny Lancaster has said she “felt ashamed and belittled” by how former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace treated her on the TV show.
Lancaster, who is also a TV personality, and is married to singer Rod Stewart, told Sky News’ The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee programme that she also felt let down by MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK.
“I didn’t feel like I was supported in that moment, I felt ashamed and belittled by the way Greg Wallace had treated me but equally I felt disappointed that the production company hadn’t come to my rescue,” Lancaster, 54 and a MasterChef contestant in 2021, said.
“There is a long way to go, but just by people coming forward and being honest about their experiences I think will help in the long term.”
At the end of July, Wallace, 60, apologised after a report commissioned by Banijay UK, and carried out by law firm Lewis Silkin, found 45 out of 83 allegations against him were substantiated.
Sir Rod Stewart criticised Wallace on Instagram in November 2024 and claimed he “humiliated” his wife when she was on the show.
He wrote: “Good riddance Wallace… You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?
“You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully.”
Gregg Wallace. Pic: PA
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Sky News has approached Wallace for comment.
He has previously apologised to people he has hurt, saying in July that he knows he has said things that have offended people. He has denied a specific allegation of unwanted touching.
The BBC referred Sky News to their statement from July, in which the corporation said: “Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour – both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC. We accept more could and should have been done sooner.
“We want to thank all those who took part in the investigation, including those who first raised concerns directly with the BBC in November last year. We apologise to everyone who has been impacted by Mr Wallace’s behaviour.”
Penny Lancaster speaks to Sarah-Jane Mee
Banijay UK, the producers of MasterChef, told Sky News: “We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by any inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace whilst working on our shows and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed.
“Ways of reporting concerns whilst working on our productions, protocols around behaviour and training for both cast and crew, have improved exponentially in recent years and we constantly review welfare procedures across our productions to ensure that they are as robust as they can be.”
Sadiq Khan has hit back at politicians “spreading misinformation” about safety in London as new data shows the number of violent crimes leading to injury has fallen in every borough over the past year.
Figures from the mayor’s office for policing and crime compare the 12 months ending in August 2025 with the previous 12 months – and show there were 8,749 fewer crimes which resulted in someone being hurt, a drop of nearly 12%.
The borough of Havering in east London recorded the largest drop (16.3%) followed by Enfield in north London (16.1%).
The smallest decreases were in Greenwich (4.3%) and Kensington and Chelsea (4.6%).
Sir Sadiq said: “We’ve seen a number of politicians here and across the globe talking down London and spreading misinformation about crime and safety in the capital.
“The evidence is clear, our approach to tackling crime and its complex causes works. It’s driving down violence right across the capital.”
His comments come after Donald Trump reignited his feud with Sir Sadiq earlier this month by accusing him of doing a “terrible job” and claiming “crime in London is through the roof”.
The US president also hit out at the mayor in a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where he also made the outlandish claim that London “wants Sharia law” – something there is no evidence for.
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Trump attacks UN and London mayor
Asked about the attacks, Sir Sadiq said: “I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic, and he is Islamophobic.”
He added that the public would be “wondering what it is about this Muslim mayor who leads a liberal, multicultural, progressive, successful city that means I appear to be living rent-free inside Donald Trump’s head”.
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According to the mayor’s office, overall homicides in London are at a 10-year low, and the city’s rate is lower than in Berlin, Brussels, Madrid, Paris and all major US cities.
The rate of homicide was down by 17% in the 12-month period to June this year compared with the 12-month period to May 2016, it previously said.
Sir Sadiq speaks with a police officer during a walkabout in the West End earlier this year. File pic: PA
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Rachel Williams said: “We’re targeting the most dangerous individuals, disrupting criminal networks, and investing in prevention to protect those most at risk.
“That’s why fewer people are being hurt, fewer lives are being lost, and London is becoming a safer city.”
The Conservatives rejected the suggestion that London is safer.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp claims ‘London isn’t safer’
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Under this Labour mayor, criminals know the odds are stacked in their favour.
“Only one in 20 robberies is solved, fewer offenders are being jailed, and more than a thousand police officers have been cut from the Metropolitan Police, with Sir Mark Rowley warning of further losses this year.
“Londoners don’t feel safer because London isn’t safer.”
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