Bibby Stockholm migrants 'to be moved to Wolverhampton' after barge closure

The Government announced in July that it planned to close the controversial barge, which has been moored off the coast of Portland, Dorset.

About 400 people will need to be relocated as the Home Office seeks to close the vessel by the end of the year.

Some of the migrants will be moved to a hotel in Wolverhampton, which is believed to be undergoing a change of use so it can house single male migrants.

Council accommodation is Worksop, Nottinghamshire is also expected to be used.

Bibby Stockholm and the ex-RAF Wethersfield base in Essex – which housed 500 single male migrants – were taken over by the previous Conservative government in an effort to reduce the number of migrants in hotels, which was said to be costing £8 million a day.

RAF Wetherfield is also due to close, although no date has yet been set.

A Home Office spokesman said: "This government inherited an asylum system under unprecedented strain, with thousands stuck in a backlog without their claims processed.

"We have taken immediate action to restart asylum processing which will save an estimated £7 billion for the tax payer over the next ten years, and are delivering a major uplift in returns to remove people with no right to be in the UK.

"Over the long term this will reduce our reliance on hotels and costs of accommodation.

"We remain absolutely committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers."

The Home Office is now considering opening additional asylum hotels due to fears it is running out of space to house migrants.

There is currently a backlog of almost 120,000 migrants who are still awaiting a decision on their claims.