Refugees land on RAF base in Cyprus, marking first direct arrival on British sovereign soil

Vessels were spotted off RAF Akrotiri, the military facilitiy on the southern coast of Cyprus used to bomb Isis targets in Iraq

The refugees were spotted off RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus in the early hours (Getty Images)

Four boats carrying 140 refugees have come ashore at a British military base on Cyprus, marking the first time since the crisis began that people have landed directly on what is considered British sovereign soil.

Vessels carrying the refugees were spotted in the early morning hours off RAF Akrotiri, a sprawling military facility on the southern coast of Cyprus used to bomb Isis targets in northern Iraq.

"We have not established where they are from yet," a spokesman for the bases said.

Britain started using RAF Akrotiri to bomb Isis targets in northern Iraq in September 2014. The base is one of two sovereign territories retained by Britain on Cyprus, a colony until 1960.

Despite its proximity to Syria, EU member Cyprus has not seen any of the massive influx of refugees seen by either Italy or Greece, where arrivals have topped 500,000 this year.

Refugees have tended to avoid the island because of its relative geographical isolation from the rest of Europe and difficulties in leaving.

Reuters