REFUGEES fleeing from Afghanistan are set to be rehoused in Worcestershire from next month.

Under plans by the Government, 20,000 Afghan refugees are due to be resettled in the UK over the next five years.

The announcement comes after the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, resulting in residents desperately trying to flee the country.

It has now been confirmed that as part of the resettlement scheme, refugees will be rehomed in areas across Worcestershire.

A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: "Worcestershire will be receiving families through the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) scheme which is supporting the interpreters and other personnel that supported our military.

"These people will start arriving throughout Worcestershire next month.

"That scheme is being led by the County Council with support from all districts."

The council has yet to confirm further details about the scheme, including how many will be resettled in the county.

Rachel Maclean, MP for Redditch, said: “As Redditch and Worcestershire has done in the past, I’m pleased we will play our part in resettling Afghan refugees, just as our town stepped up to the mark and re-homed Syrian refugees who were displaced by conflict.

"It is the right and compassionate thing to do.”