Royal Navy ships will bring home Britons stranded due to volcanic ash cloud

The Prime Minister has announced that three Royal navy ships, including the Ark Royal, will be drafted to Europe today to bring home stranded tourists

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has confirmed that three Royal Navy ships will be deployed to Europe to help bring home tourists still stranded following eruptions from Volcano Eyjafjallajökull as the restrictions on airspace continues.

In an announcement this morning, Gordon Brown said that the Ark Royal, HMS Ocean and the HMS Albion will be sent across the Channel.

Gordon Brown said, “Ark Royal will be sent to the Channel, equally, HMS Ocean will be available at Channel Ports as soon as possible.”

The HMS Albion is already on its way to Spain to collect members of the 3 Rifles regiment, who have been stranded on their way back from Afghanistan, and it is possible that it will also be deployed to collect civilians.

Plans were announced this morning after the UK’s emergency committee Cobra met to discuss how it could address the travel chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud left by the eruptions from Volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland.

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The Prime Minister said Spain was the hub for Britons returning to Europe from world-wide destinations and that the Spanish premier, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has been very supportive of Britain’s plans to make sure people get home safely.

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