There were heated scenes on Portland this morning as protesters clashed over the arrival of a controversial barge which will house asylum seekers.

Two groups, Stand Up to Racism Dorset and the NO TO THE BARGE group, oppose the barge, however they differ on messages about asylum seekers coming to the port.

Stand Up to Racism Dorset says refugees are welcome but that they shouldn't be housed on the Bibby Stockholm, which they describe as a "prison barge".

Meanwhile, members of the NO TO THE BARGE Group say they are concerned about the number of asylum seekers being housed on the vessel and the impact it will have on local infrastructure. 

For most of the morning the groups kept their distance, both gathering at the beach just outside the port gates, the groups were not mingling but stood peacefully spreading their own messages.

That was until the divide was crossed and there was confrontation between some members of both groups.

Tensions ran high and a heated debate broke out between the two groups.

Members of Stand Up to Racism accused other protesters of promoting far-right views and criticised them for suggesting there was a risk to women and girls.

Lynne Hubbard, co-chair of Stand Up to Racism Dorset, was arguing that residents had "no reason to be scared" of refugees, whilst members of the NO TO THE BARGE Group said they "don't feel safe in their own town".

"There is always room for common ground, we need to pull people away from blaming the refugees and fight for things that we all need, we all need Portland Hospital reopened, we need better bus services that are affordable, there are many things that can be done that would improve the lives of people on Portland but not by scapegoating refugees.

Heated words were exchanged, before each group began chanting slogans at each other, Stand Up To Racism Dorset chanted: "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here", whilst the NO TO THE BARGE Group chanted: "no to the barge".

Dorset Echo: Portland resident SammyPortland resident Sammy (Image: Tom Lawrence)

Sammy, from NO TO THE BARGE, said: "They think we are racist. It is not about racism, it is about having 500 men on such a small island. We don't know about their background, we haven't got the staff with doctors, nurses and the hospital. We can't get a free bus and they can, why is it 500 men and not families?"

The tensions simmered after a Police Liason Officer split up the protesters.