The first asylum seekers arrived on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset on Monday morning. Around 50 men who crossed the Channel are in the first group to board the vessel off the coast of Dorset.

The barge is moored in Portland Port, and it is expected to house up to 1,500 asylum seekers. The government has said that the barge is a temporary measure to deal with the increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in the UK.

The arrival of the asylum seekers has been met with protests from local residents and refugee charities. Protesters have said that the barge is not a suitable place to house asylum seekers, and that it is inhumane to keep them in such cramped conditions.

The Home Office has defended the use of the barge, saying that it is a safe and secure place to house asylum seekers. The Home Office has also said that the barge is only a temporary measure, and that asylum seekers will be moved to more permanent accommodation as soon as possible.