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1 March 2011
Last updated at 05:29 ET
The UK is prepared for a humanitarian aid effort after the political turmoil in Libya, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has said.
The UN estimates that 100,000 people have fled Libya over the past week into neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia.
Mr Mitchell said the UK was "very engaged" in the situation, with British officials in both border areas.
Supplies of tents and blankets will be flown to the region from the UK's stocks in Dubai, he told the BBC.
'Real danger' Mr Mitchell said: "We're very engaged indeed in this. We have officials on the two borders of Libya, in Egypt and Tunisia.
"We are monitoring very carefully what is happening there, we're working closely with the United Nations and a number of leading NGOs (non-governmental organisations).
"Today we are flying from our stocks in Dubai tents and blankets and support, in conjunction with the United Nations, to help the people - particularly on the Tunisian border - who are caught there."
The Department for International Development said Mr Mitchell had already been in contact with the head of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Baroness Valerie Amos, and Islamic Relief UK director Jehangir Malik.
On Monday, David Cameron told the House of Commons there was a "real danger" of a humanitarian crisis in Libya.
"We are acutely conscious of the risks of shortages and are monitoring the situation closely. We have dispatched technical teams to be in place at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders," he said.
No-fly plan The prime minister told MPs that Mr Mitchell would be visiting the region later this week "to assess the situation on the ground for himself".
Mr Cameron also said the UK was working with its allies on a plan to establish a military no-fly zone over Libya, and did not rule out "the use of military assets".
There were thought to be fewer than 150 British citizens remaining in Libya and only a "very small proportion" of those wanted to leave, he added.
The head of the UN's World Food Programme, Josette Sheeran, is expected to visit the border area in Tunisia on Tuesday.
Libya has been hit by protests calling for the Middle East's longest-serving ruler, Col Muammar Gaddafi, to step down.
The UN believes thousands of people may have been killed or injured in a violent crackdown by the Libyan regime.
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The UN estimates that 100,000 people have fled Libya over the past week into neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia.
Mr Mitchell said the UK was "very engaged" in the situation, with British officials in both border areas.
Supplies of tents and blankets will be flown to the region from the UK's stocks in Dubai, he told the BBC.
'Real danger' Mr Mitchell said: "We're very engaged indeed in this. We have officials on the two borders of Libya, in Egypt and Tunisia.
"We are monitoring very carefully what is happening there, we're working closely with the United Nations and a number of leading NGOs (non-governmental organisations).
"Today we are flying from our stocks in Dubai tents and blankets and support, in conjunction with the United Nations, to help the people - particularly on the Tunisian border - who are caught there."
The Department for International Development said Mr Mitchell had already been in contact with the head of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Baroness Valerie Amos, and Islamic Relief UK director Jehangir Malik.
On Monday, David Cameron told the House of Commons there was a "real danger" of a humanitarian crisis in Libya.
"We are acutely conscious of the risks of shortages and are monitoring the situation closely. We have dispatched technical teams to be in place at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders," he said.
No-fly plan The prime minister told MPs that Mr Mitchell would be visiting the region later this week "to assess the situation on the ground for himself".
Mr Cameron also said the UK was working with its allies on a plan to establish a military no-fly zone over Libya, and did not rule out "the use of military assets".
There were thought to be fewer than 150 British citizens remaining in Libya and only a "very small proportion" of those wanted to leave, he added.
The head of the UN's World Food Programme, Josette Sheeran, is expected to visit the border area in Tunisia on Tuesday.
Libya has been hit by protests calling for the Middle East's longest-serving ruler, Col Muammar Gaddafi, to step down.
The UN believes thousands of people may have been killed or injured in a violent crackdown by the Libyan regime.
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