Plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers on a barge off the Dorset coast have been slammed as 'inhumane' and 'morally wrong' by one councillor. 

Cllr Paul Kimber, Dorset Councillor for Portland, said he was 'flabbergasted' by today's news from the Home Office which revealed the Bibby Stockholm barge will moor at Portland Port and accommodate about 500 asylum seekers while their claims are processed.

It will be the first of its kind in the UK, with the Home Office saying it is 'exploring the use of further vessels to accommodate migrants.'

But Cllr Kimber argues the move is inhumane.

He said: "Portland is completely unsuitable for this, we have not got the facilities, we are miles away from being able to process the people coming here and it is inhumane and morally wrong to house people in such conditions.

"The amount of money spent on this should have been spent on hiring a lot more immigration officers to deal with the backlog in processing."

Dorset Council, which expressed 'serious concerns' last week, said its position had not changed. 

Reacting to today's news, a Dorset Council spokesperson said: "We are aware of the Home Secretary's announcement this afternoon, confirming that the Home Office wishes to proceed with its plans to house asylum seekers in floating accommodation at Portland Port.

"Dorset Council's position has not changed. We still have serious reservations about the appropriateness of Portland Port in this scenario and we remain opposed to the proposals.

"However, the council will continue to support and acknowledge the concerns of our residents and local businesses.

"There are a number of questions which the Home Secretary's announcement does not address, we will continue to press the Home Office for answers and await further information."

READ: Dorset MP issues legal threat over plan to house migrants on barge

South Dorset Conservative MP Richard Drax said yesterday he was working to get the plan 'consigned to the dustbin', and claimed the barge was being 'dumped on our door' without consultation by the Home Office as he urged Home Secretary Suella Braverman to scrap the idea.

“Every option’s being looked at including legal action,” he told the PA news agency.

He raised concerns about the practicality of keeping hundreds of vulnerable individuals in a “very, very restricted area”, placing extra pressure on the port’s “very small” police force.

“They will be allowed out on a bus every so often but in effect will be incarcerated for quite a lot of the time,” he said.