AN ASYLUM seeker staged a desperate protest for two days on the trot after he was forced to move to Southampton.
The dangerous stunts saw the 28-year-old Iraqi dangling 60ft above busy traffic from a flyover on the A2, in Dover, Kent, twice sparking road chaos as police tried to talk him down.
He was said to be furious with Dover immigration officials for forcing him to move from his home in Hastings, East Sussex, to Southampton. He threatened to throw himself off if he was made to live in the city.
The Iraqi had been ordered to Southampton but returned after "not very long at all" to mount his precarious protest.
Traffic into the UK's busiest Channel port was held up for two hours on Monday before officers made a lunge for the man and hauled him to safety.
He passed a mental health assessment but was back dangling from the bridge the following day. This time officers talked him down after three hours. Asylum bosses are now said to be considering his future.
A spokesman for Kent police said: "It seems he was unhappy that after living in Hastings for three years he has been told to go and live in Southampton."
A spokesman for the Migrant Helpline in Dover said the Iraqi had "personal problems".
She said: "Because two or three years ago there were a huge number of people coming into the Kent area, services became stretched so it is now policy to move them away. Southampton is what's called a dispersal area - they are scattered all over the country.
"He was in Hastings and then dispersed to Southampton. We stress strongly that they are not to return. He was there for not very long at all and then he came back to us. We don't know why, Southampton is a very nice place."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article