More than one hundred prisoners escape after Hurricane Irma in British Virgin Islands

More than 100 "very serious prisoners" have escaped from jail on the British Virgin Islands.

One murder is believed to have been carried out by a Category A prisoner "dangerously on the loose".

The Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Minister Sir Alan Duncan said the escapees pose "a serious threat of complete breakdown of law and order".

"The prison was breached, over 100 very serious prisoners escaped," Sir Alan said.

Sir Alan said Marines from RFA Mounts Bay were used to "protect the Governor and everything else about law and order" on Tuesday.

"And I'm pleased to say that 24 hours later, or 48 hours later, we've been able significantly to reinforce the Marines.

"So we have maintained and kept law and order on the British Virgin Islands, which at one point could have dramatically threatened the already-unfortunate plight of those who had been hit by the hurricane."

Some of the escaped prisoners are of the highest category.

Others on the run included low-level inmates released so they could check on their homes, who didn't return.

Alan Duncan explained what the Government have done to assist. Credit: PA

The Government has sent almost a thousand military personnel after more than half a million Britons found themselves in the path of Hurricane Irma.Sir Alan told the Commons that 997 members of the armed forces had been dispatched, along with 47 police officers.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is travelling to the Caribbean in order to visit British territories impacted by Hurricane Irma.