The most severe form of legionella was discovered on the Bibby Stockholm on August 15th, according to data released to the Guardian by Dorset County Council after an FOI request.
Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 is the most deadly strain as it is potentially fatal.
Public health experts have confirmed that the presence of legionella could have been expected, as the barge had been empty for some time.
It is understood that further water samples were taken from the barge on August 24th and the results of testing are expected soon.
Meanwhile evidence is emerging of unaccompanied migrant children being sent to adult jails. 14 detained refugees in Elmley prison were identified as children during a recent inspection.
The children, whose ages are contested by the Home Office, have been charged with immigration offences introduced under the Nationality and Borders Act. Already traumatised by their experiences, these unaccompanied minors are locked in cells, not knowing where to turn for help.
And according to Doughty Street Chambers, representing Every Child Protected Against Trafficking, a recent judicial review has shown that more than 5,400 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have been housed in hotels by the Home Office since July 2022.
The High Court judgment declared the practice was illegal, as it failed to offer the children adequate protection. 447 children have been reported as going missing from hotels and, as of April 2023, 186 are still missing.
But Suella Braverman is showing no signs of backing down on her harsh migration policies. She recently told the BBC that the government “would do whatever it takes” if its plan to send refugees to Rwanda was thwarted, either by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) or by the supreme court. The UK court is shortly due to rule on the legality of the Rwanda scheme, after the court of appeal declared it illegal.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/aug/28/suella-braverman-strasbourg-rwanda-european-convention-human-rights
It is thought that the government will face growing pressure from right-wing Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers to leave the European Convention on Human Rights if the Rwanda plan is blocked by the courts. Russia and Belarus are the only European countries which are not members of the Convention, which was originally drafted by British lawyers and established with strong support from the UK in 1959. It is a ground-breaking international treaty designed to protect human rights and basic freedoms in Europe.
If the UK leaves, British citizens will lose significant protections of their human rights, and Brexit agreements made with the EU risk being revoked.
BBC Radio 4’s The Briefing Room, August 19th, provides an excellent explanation of the Convention, and the implications of leaving it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001pmp6