A NEW £75 million scheme from the government will help Britons stranded abroad return home.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab announced that, where commercial flights are no longer available, the government will provide financial support to charter affordable flights back to the UK for tens of thousands of people through Virgin, British Airways, EasyJet and other airlines.

The arrangements will begin this week. Where commercial flights are still going ahead, the airlines are responsible for ensuring tourists and travellers get home safe.

Check the regularly-updated Foreign Office website for travel advice.

Mr Raab said: "Many travellers have not yet managed to get back home. We appreciate the difficult predicament they find themselves in and that anxious families in the UK want to get their loved ones home.

"I want to assure them that the government is working around the clock to help British travellers get home.

"We are keeping airports and ports open to facilitate acess to them by British travellers.

"Given the scale and complexity of this challenge, it requires a team effort."

Talks with airlines and other countries have been carried out to help stranded Brits get back.

Mr Raab added: "We have helped hundreds of thousands of Britons get home - 150,000 UK nationals got back from Spain through keeping commercial routes open."

Plus, 8,500 returned from Morrocco and 5,000 from Cyprus.

In areas where commercial flights had stopped, the government helped charter planes to fly 1,400 people from China and then Peru.