QPR to lay on coaches for stranded refugee children

Championship club QPR have agreed to supply coaches to collect stranded refugee children from Calais and bring them to the United Kingdom.

The London club have formed part of a plan with their local authority, Hammersmith and Fulham council, which has volunteer social workers ready to travel to France.

It is an agreement that follows rising concerns over the wellbeing of unaccompanied children in the French port town who are seeking asylum.

"The situation for the children in France is chaotic, violent and dangerous. So many people have come up to me and said: 'How can we leave children in these conditions in 2016?'" leader of Hammersmith and Fulham council Steve Cowan is quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"We have social workers on standby ready to go to France as soon as the French authorities give us permission to go in and collect the children, and generous benefactors such as QPR who are providing us with a fleet of coaches to collect the children.

"Lord [Alf] Dubs has shown the necessary leadership here, first by getting the amendment passed in parliament allowing these vulnerable children to be brought to the UK and now by writing to the French government asking them to let us go to France to collect these children and bring them back here."