FCO unveils plan to evacuate all remaining Britons

The Government today formally announced its plans to evacuate Britons remaining in Lebanon.

British citizens wanting to leave the country should go to the Beirut Forum conference centre either by 3pm today or tomorrow morning, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.

The British Embassy in Beirut will take to safety as many people as possible on the Royal Navy warships leaving later today.

Further evacuations of British passport holders and their immediate families will start at 9.30am tomorrow.

The FCO said in a statement: "We cannot guarantee what time the ships will

sail.

"If you are able to reach the Beirut Forum before 3pm today, we will do our best to put you on today's ships.

"If we cannot do so, you will be asked to come back tomorrow as there is no accommodation in the Beirut Forum. We are expecting more ships in the next couple of days."

Britons wanting to be evacuated should bring their passports, money, credit cards and one small bag no bigger than aircraft hand luggage.

They are advised not to bring large bags, pets, household staff or friends who are not British citizens, as none of these will be allowed on the ships.

Members of Britons' immediate families will be evacuated whatever their nationality provided they have valid travel documents.

Two Royal Navy Type 42 destroyers, HMS Gloucester and HMS York, are already ready to take the British evacuees to safety.

Another four British ships, including the giant aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and the commando assault ship HMS Bulwark, will arrive off the Lebanese coast tomorrow morning.

The first shipload of 180 British evacuees reached Cyprus early this morning on board HMS Gloucester.