NORTH Ayrshire Council has welcomed refugees from Syria this week.

The council is one of only five local authorities in Scotland to be 

taking in some of the 100 refugees who arrived on Tuesday morning - the largest group to arrive since the government expanded its resettlement scheme in September.

The group - thought to be mainly families - landed at Glasgow Airport on the first of a series of charter flights carrying refugees.

A number of them will be resettled in to North Ayrshire over the coming weeks.

Officials say the UK only agrees to accept refugees who have committed to undergoing a two-stage security screening process.

Those set to arrive in Glasgow are from refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and other countries near Syria.

They include people suffering from health problems, including post traumatic stress disorder, according to reports.

A council spokesperson said: “Today, North Ayrshire Council will join five other Scottish local authorities in welcoming refugees from Syria. 

“We look forward to placing the families in their new homes and working with our partners to help these 

vulnerable people settle and adapt to their new lives.

“We believe strongly that everyone should be free to live without fear of persecution.

“We have been working closely with the Home Office who have a rigorous vetting programme in operation.”