AN ASYLUM-SEEKER who lived on the Bibby Stockholm said today he is “glad it was closed” for the sake of people’s mental health, describing it as a “ghost town.”

Residents of the vessel are being moved to other accommodations under the government’s asylum system overhaul plans.

John, whose name has been changed for privacy, said leaving the barge in Portland, Dorset, brought mixed feelings.

While it relieved the pressure of life on the vessel, he said there was new uncertainty about where he will go next.

John said of life on the barge: “It was a unique experience … sometimes it actually felt like a prison.

“We were happy at least if we weren’t safe, other people will be safe, they wouldn’t have to go through the same process and have the same experience.”

He described the mental toll of cramped rooms and strict security, saying: “When you’re in small places like that, it makes you depressed.

“Now those people already experienced bad things back in their home countries, when they experience that, you’re already kind of depressed.”

He added he has anxiety and depression from the whole process, saying: “Hopefully I’ll recover one day, as soon as I get my decision [on asylum].

“The thing with the decision is the uncertainty and waiting time, you don’t know what will happen, you worry about everything.”

Ravishaan Rahel Muthiah, of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, welcomed Labour’s promise of closure but said: “The fact remains that much of our asylum accommodation is poor quality and not fit for purpose.

“[Asylum-seekers] are housed in disused army barracks, dangerous flats and hotels where they are easy targets of the far right.

“Instead of wasting money on private contracts and retraumatising already vulnerable people, the government could house people in communities where they can adjust to life in our country.

“The solution to housing asylum-seekers is simple — build more safe and affordable housing for all.”

Freedom from Torture’s Kolbassia Haoussou said that from his own experiences of being detained, “I know only too well how living in places like these worsens despair, anxiety and depression.”

“We urge the government to hold true to its commitment to use dispersed asylum accommodation, close the Bibby Stockholm and house people seeking sanctuary in safe and dignified community-based housing, so they can recover and rebuild their lives in peace,” he said.