Coventry City Council will welcome any Kosovo refugees if the Government decides to airlift them to this country.

Councillor John Fletcher, leader of the council said:

"We have not been asked to do anything yet, but if we are, we will certainly see what we can do to help.

"There are places in the city where we could house people. We will do whatever we can. Like the rest of the country we are appalled at the stories coming out the region. Frankly they make you want to weep.

"We await the call. Coventry is famous for taking refugees into our city and looking after them."

A spokesman for Warwickshire County Council said:

"Of course we try to help in circumstances like these, but I suspect we shall not be involved.

"If the Government decides to bring in refugees en masse they will be housed in empty prisons and disused army camps. I don’t think local councils will be called on to help because it will be a Central Government matter and housing will not be needed because the governments have said they would want to return the refugees to their homeland as soon as possible.

"Until now local authorities have been asked only to deal with the few refugees who conceal themselves in lorries. They are dealt with by Social Services and the Government provides funds for that."