British government leases barge to house 500 asylum seekers

The United Kingdom government announced it had leased a barge to house approximately 500 asylum seekers on England’s south coast as it seeks to cut lodging costs for migrants and refugees arriving on its shores.

The Home Office said on Wednesday that the accommodation barge will be used “to reduce the unsustainable pressure on the UK’s asylum system and cut the cost to the taxpayer caused by the significant increase in Channel crossings”.