Charities criticised the UK government after an asylum seeker died on board the controversial Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge docked on the southwest English coast.

Dorset Police said they had received a report of a "sudden death of a resident on the Bibby Stockholm," while the Home Office said it was "aware of reporting of an incident".

No further details were immediately available.

The first migrants to be housed at the site arrived in early August, but had to leave following the discovery of Legionella bacteria.

They returned to the barge, which can house 500 people, in October but rights advocates have hit out at the policy, saying the vessel is unfit for the purpose.

Steve Smith, the chief executive of Care4Calais, said that the UK government "must take responsibility for this human tragedy".

'Wilfful ignorance'

"They have wilfully ignored the trauma they are inflicting on people who are sent to the Bibby Stockholm," he added.

"This can no longer continue. Asylum-seekers are human beings, many of whom have experienced the worst traumas imaginable through war, torture and persecution."

Britain is currently seeing record numbers of migrants arriving by small boat from France on its south coast.

Almost 30,000 people have arrived so far in 2023 with more than 110,000 migrants having made the sea crossing since Britain began publicly recording the arrivals in 2018.