Vulnerable people including victims of torture are being housed on the Bibby Stockholm in a potential breach of the government’s own guidelines, those on board have told openDemocracy.

The allegations come just weeks after the death of a man on board. Leonard Farruku, an Albanian man, is thought to have killed himself in December. Speaking to us, his former roommate warned Farruku’s death was “just the beginning”.

Current residents of the barge spoke on condition of anonymity and included a man from the Horn of Africa, who told openDemocracy that he was a victim of torture. The man, who had previously been housed in a hotel and receiving psychological support, has been on the barge in a shared room since November 2023. Members of local residents’ organisation Portland Global Friendship Group, which offers informal pastoral support and activities for dozens of people on the Bibby Stockholm, told openDemocracy that they knew of at least two other victims of torture – one from Russia, another from Iran – who were also on board.

Asylum accommodation guidance issued in October 2023 says anyone who has been tortured, and has had an evaluation confirming they have ‘special’ physical or mental needs, is not suitable for accommodation on the barge. It was reported in August that the Home Office had broken its own rules by trying to house vulnerable people, including torture survivors, on the barge – but this is the first time an alleged victim of torture has been reported as actually being resident there.

The Home Office says everyone on the barge is screened for suitability, and to protect other vulnerable people on board.

Ann Salter, head of clinical services in the north-west for the charity Freedom from Torture, told us: “It’s shameful that survivors of torture – who have fled the most unimaginable horrors – are being forced to live onboard the Bibby Stockholm.

“From the survivors I work with every day, I know that cramped and dangerous accommodation causes unnecessary suffering and re-traumatisation. It is accepted clinical opinion that suitable housing in local communities with proper access to specialist health care, legal advice, and social contact can make a real difference to survivors’ recovery and rehabilitation.”

Residents also report deteriorating conditions on the boat, which openDemocracy understands houses about 300 people.

In the aftermath of Farruku’s death, local faith leaders were invited onto the barge. One of those was councillor Paul Kimber, who is also a Quaker chaplain.

He told openDemocracy that the mood on board that day was one of “shock and anger”, and spoke of overcrowded conditions.

These were echoed by Farruku’s roommate, Yusuf Deen Kargbo, an athlete who competed in the 2022 Commonwealth games in Birmingham and then claimed asylum. “With all the people, there is sometimes no space to sit down at dinner,” he said. Instead, residents have to wait until space is free, sometimes meaning food goes cold or runs out completely. Kargbo, who was moved off the barge after Farruku’s death, claimed the electricity would go out for hours at a time and that both WiFi and hot water on the barge were intermittent.

Current residents also confirmed this, adding that people’s clothes are often lost by the laundry service.

One of those we spoke to, from south Asia, had fled ethnic violence. The risk of recrimination even outside his country is high, he said; in other instances, people who fled to supposedly “safe” countries have been followed and killed. “There’s no privacy,” he said. “Sometimes at reception, I’ve seen people’s full names and information. That’s very risky for us.

“I do not tell anyone my full name because I am scared. I’m so afraid someone will discover who I am.”

Residents on board told us they felt like they were being treated as criminals. “They treat us like dogs,” they said. Another added: “We are human beings, why don’t they treat us like humans?”

They spoke of “suffering” and “struggling” on the barge, and that they believed they were being used as “laboratory rats”.

Yusuf Deen Kargbo told us the spectre of Rwanda hangs heavy on those on board. “They are convinced they’re going to be sent there. People cannot sleep.

“If they keep sending people [to the barge], more deaths will come.”

The allegations in this article were put to the Home Office in full.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The health and welfare of asylum seekers remains the utmost priority and we work continually to ensure the needs and vulnerabilities of those residing on the vessel are identified and met.

“Asylum seekers are not detained, and are free to come and go as they please – shuttle buses are available to transport individuals into local towns.

“The food provided on the barge meets NHS Eatwell standards and responds to all cultural and dietary requirements. Where concerns are raised about any aspect of the service delivered on the barge, we work with the provider to ensure these concerns are swiftly addressed.”