Greater Manchester mayor urges government for stronger plan for providing Afghan refugees asylum

"It looks chaotic in terms of the way it's being handled and the government urgently needs to get a stronger plan in place" - GM Mayor Andy Burnham.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester has urged the government to put 'stronger' plans in place when it comes to providing asylum for Afghan refugees.

Thousands of people are still trying to flee the Taliban, with another 200 refugees arriving in the UK on Tuesday, as the deadline for evacuation looms.

A number of young children and elderly Afghans were seen disembarking the flight at RAF Brize Norton in the early hours.

Mayor Andy Burnham, who has branded the government's current plans as 'chaotic', says the region will welcome refugees but communities need adequate support.

"They've got to put in place arrangements here that are fair to all parts of the country and at the moment I don't see any evidence of that", he said.

"It looks chaotic in terms of the way it's being handled and the government urgently needs to get a stronger plan in place."

Manchester has so far accommodated more than 1,000 Afghan nationals as the government scrambles to evacuate people before August 31, when Western forces will leave the country.

Founder of Care4Calais Clare Moseley says the charity has been inundated with donations from people across the region who want to help.

Mr Burnham said: "The amount of stuff that the Greater Manchester public have donated - it's amazing what people can do and it always restores your faith.

"People are so generous here, but I would say to the Government - don't take people's generosity for granted and play on that."