'Extraordinary' British troops praised for Hurricane Irma relief effort
British troops have been praised as "extraordinary" for their efforts helping islanders in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
The forces were described as doing "amazing stuff" to aid those in the Caribbean whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed.
Brigadier John Ridge, who has coordinated the Joint Task Force, said the Royal Marines and Royal Engineers carried out their work in challenging conditions.
He also praised the "staggering resilience" of people whose lives had been turned upside down.
Brigadier Ridge predicted that the UK operation would begin to be scaled back once HMS Ocean arrived this weekend.
Currently there are more than 1,100 British troops deployed across the region, covering an area almost 1,000 miles big.
ITV News witnessed the moment Royal Marines came to the rescue of stranded islanders Jost Van Dyke who had been cut off for days.
HMS Ocean, which is carrying another 60 tonnes of aid to add to the 60 tonnes which has already arrived and been distributed, is nearing its destination.
Heaping praise on the UK effort, Brigadier Ridge said: "The way they have just got stuck in has been extraordinary and to go and see the Royal Marines and Royal Engineers out in some pretty unpleasant conditions - just digging out, cleaning stuff up, helping distribute aid and enjoying doing it.
"I think it is incredible to go and see young soldiers, young marines, young sailors, young airman, interacting and doing amazing stuff and not because they're told to, because they want to.
"That for me gives me tremendous pride. For them it has been a hugely rewarding experience."
Brigadier Ridge said he thought the arrival of HMS Ocean would be the "high water mark", and that the "largest military footprint" following the category five storm will begin to scale back from there.
"I suspect we will be gradually drawing down pretty much after she has arrived," he said.
A number of British overseas territories suffered significant damage during Irma.
The Turks and Caicos islands, British Virgin Islands and Anguilla all sustained "a lot of destruction".
The UK government was criticised by relatives of some stranded islanders who claimed the country was not doing enough to help the relief effort.
Both Boris Johnson and Priti Patel described the accusations as "wrong", with the Foreign Secretary saying Britain was making an "unprecedented" effort to assist.
Mr Johnson flew to the Caribbean last week to witness the damage first hand.