At least 135 asylum seekers are now living onboard the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset, according to local campaigners.
Stand Up To Racism Dorset and the Portland Global Friendship Group held a welcome meeting at the port gates on Sunday for new arrivals.
At the same time, the No To The Barge group also held a protest, concerned over the impact on the local area.
Co-ordinator of the Portland Global Friendship Group, Heather, told Sky News the number of people being placed on the barge is growing.
“The number I know is 135, but I do know that more arrived on Friday so that number will be higher,” said Heather, who did not want to give her full name.
“There’s a large amount of people on-board and they’re adjusting to life. Some of them have found it really difficult.”
Heather said asylum seekers are highlighting problems with living on-board, with claims that televisions in each bedroom have been disconnected.
“On the barge, there are no activities – the TVs are disconnected. The Home Office said it’s to encourage the guys to socialise. They don’t have meaningful activities on the barge.”
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A Home Office spokesperson said the barge’s capacity is 500, but the number of people on board may vary “due to a number of factors, including individuals exiting the asylum system once a decision has been made”.
They added: “The Bibby Stockholm is part of the government’s pledge to reduce the use of expensive hotels and bring forward alternative accommodation options which provide a more cost-effective, sustainable and manageable system for the UK taxpayer and local communities.”
The Home Office added that asylum seekers have access to communal areas, including a TV lounge.
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PM defends Bibby Stockholm
The volunteer group is now running events for asylum seekers five days a week.
Heather said: “We have conversation club, we took the guys fishing, we’ve got sports groups – all different activities put on by volunteers. We now have over 70 guys engaging with us and we get more each week as more arrive.”
A number of the asylum seekers have begun volunteering themselves, she said.
“Many of them are really keen to meet the community and get involved in things. We’ve got guys that go down to help the homeless, they give hot meals out to the homeless.
“Some are helping in charity shops and organisations around the island.
“There’s one guy who’s doing websites for community groups on the island. So they are able to use their skill set to actually support our community and make it better,” said Heather.
In a separate protest, around a dozen campaigners from the No To The Barge group marched.
In a statement, the group said: “The ordinary people on the beautiful island of Portland, Dorset are fed up, frustrated and angry about the socially divisive, unsupported mooring of the Bibby Barge.”
“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.
The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.
The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.
Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.
The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.
A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”
The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.
The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.
Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.
There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.
A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.
They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.
“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.
“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”
The defence review will also be published in the spring.
While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.
They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.
Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.
One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.
Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.
Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.
Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.
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“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.
“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.
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“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”
Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.