'We live next to £22m Bibby barge - why we can't wait for it to close'

West and Lesley agreed the barge should not have been brought to Portland in the first place (Image: BBC•Getty) Residents living next to the Bibby Stockholm barge used in recent months to home asylum-seekers have broken their silence about the decision to scrap the contract. The Labour Government said it will scrap the controversial use of the barge to house asylum-seekers as part of its immigration system overhaul. Labour argued that ending the lease on the Bibby Stockholm would save £20 million next year.

The move is part of a larger plan to save over £7.7 billion over the next decade by clearing a huge asylum backlog. And Dorset residents near Portland harbour, where the barge has been based, welcomed the decision as they branded the scheme as "wrong.

" READ MORE: Labour announces bombshell £22m Bibby Stockholm barge closure in major overhaul Labour claims the UK will be able to save £20 million next year by scrapping the deal (Image: Getty) Sally Lesley told the BBC the British Government should not have struck the agreement with Bibby Stockholm in the first place. Ms Lesley said: "It's not that we are particularly against immigrants in Portland. "It's just the wrong environment and the wrong place and it doesn't do them any favours.

" Residents last year mounted a strong protest against the arrival of the barge claiming it would put a strain on local resources. Campaigners had also warned healthy living conditions on the barge could not be guaranteed. Another local, .