Military presence increasing

The British military presence is “ratcheting up” in the Caribbean with more troops being sent to help communities devastated by Hurricane Irma.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who is travelling to the area, said: “The military presence is really ratcheting up now. Yesterday there were about 700 troops in the region. That has now gone up to 1,000. It will go up to 1,250 in the course of the next few days.”

Hundreds of UK troops and 50 police officers have been sent to the British Virgin Islands after they were battered by the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean.

Recovery and aid efforts are under way to help those trying to piece together their lives from the ruins of the weather front.

During his visit to Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands, Mr Johnson will meet officials leading the recovery work and will see first-hand some of the most hard-hit places.

The Government had faced claims that the UK had done less to evacuate its citizens than other nations and did not have the correct equipment in place to deal with the catastrophe in the Caribbean.