ASYLUM seekers who were briefly housed aboard the Bibby Stockholm barge on Portland say conditions were so bad one person contemplated committing suicide.

They have made the claims in a letter to the Home Office claiming that being on the barge made them feel like 'criminals and second-class citizens'.

The 39 asylum seekers who boarded the barge on August 7 were moved off just days later after bacteria was found in the water supply.

Legionella bacteria can cause a serious type of pneumonia called Legionnaires' Disease.

All the asylum seekers were disembarked from the barge as a precaution though they now say they were the last people to be informed of the outbreak.

The Home Office say no one fell ill during their time on the barge and and said all of them had been given a clean bill of health by health professionals.

No date has been set for their return.

The letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman states: “Some friends said they even wished they had courage to commit suicide. Our personal belief is that many of these individuals might resort to this foolishness to escape problems in the future.”

“Currently we are staying in an old and abandoned hotel. The sense of isolation and loneliness has taken over us and psychological and emotional pressures have increased significantly.”

“We are individuals who are tired of the challenges that have arisen and no longer have the strength to face them.”

According to the Guardian newspaper an Iranian asylum seeker among the 39 has vowed never to return there. He said many of the other men who spent a few days onboard felt the same way.

“If I had had to stay even one more day on the barge I would have had suicidal thoughts. When I got on to the barge the smell and the stench of seawater was overwhelming,” he said.

“I developed stomach pains and felt dizzy but I was too scared to refuse to get on. Being on the barge made us feel like criminals and second-class citizens.”

He added that nobody from the Home Office properly explained the legionella situation to them. “I had to search on Google to find out what it is. Everyone who was on the barge are now all together in one hotel. A few people are coughing and everybody is afraid. When I was having a shower on the barge the water was burning my eyes.

“Being on that barge will always be a horrific memory in my brain. It’s a completely unfit place. We’re all feeling very upset but are even more upset that the Home Office want to return us to this horror show.

“I want to ask a question of the people who made the decision to put us on the barge. ‘Would you put a member of your family there even for one day?’ We came to the UK to escape persecution but are facing more persecution here.”

In response to the letter the Home Office said: “We are following all protocol and advice from Dorset council’s environmental health team, UK Health Security Agency and Dorset NHS, who we continue to work closely with.

“Further tests are being conducted and we intend to re-embark asylum seekers only when there is confirmation that the water system meets relevant safety standards. The safety of those onboard remains the priority.”