The first of the 20,000 Syrian refugees the UK has promised to take in have arrived

The expanded resettlement programme is beginning

A refugee carrying his children walks on Sykamia beach, west of the port of Mytilene, on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey on September 22, 2015 (AFP/Getty Images)

The first Syrian refugees coming to Britain as part of the Government's new resettlement programme have arrived in Britain.

The Home Office confirmed that the refugees had arrived in the UK but did not give details about how many had been admitted or where they were located.

David Cameron said the UK's expanded vulnerable person resettlement scheme would take 4,000 refugees a year over the next five years, a total of 20,000.

The UK is not participating in a European Union plan to relocate 120,000 refugees who are already in the continent.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are working closely with the with UNHCR and local authorities to make sure we are ready to welcome more Syrians who desperately need our assistance.

"Today a number of people have arrived in the UK as part of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) scheme. As the Prime Minister announced earlier this month, we will resettle 20,000 Syrians over the course of this Parliament through this scheme."

More follows...