The first refugees fleeing the crisis in Syria have arrived in Kirklees.

Two families are here already and more than 100 more people are to follow.

A total of 550 are expected in West Yorkshire, with up to 130 in Kirklees and 50 in Calderdale.

It is part of a UK plan to house 20,000 people from Syria and the government will meet the cost of housing and supporting the refugees.

Migration Yorkshire is the group tasked by the Home Office to establish which local authorities in the region will take Syrian refugees.

Its head, Dave Brown, said: “Every single local authority has signed up to this. That’s quite a staggering agreement.

“I think the people of Yorkshire should be quite proud that we are doing this collectively.”

A Kirklees spokesman said: “Kirklees has welcomed two families of refugees to the area; the families who are escaping persecution in Syria were identified as being some of those most in need of support.

“The families were relocated to the area as part of the vulnerable persons relocation (VPR) scheme."

BICSKE, HUNGARY - SEPTEMBER 04: Migrants protest outside a train that they are refusing to leave for fear of being taken to a refugee camp from the train that has been held at Bicske station since yesterday on September 4, 2015 in Bicske, near Budapest, Hungary.

Clr Graham Turner, Cabinet member for resources and community safety, said: “The council are committed to ensuring that these families are provided with the support they need to allow them to start a safe, new life in Kirklees.

"We have received funding from the government to help the families to get settled in as quickly as possible. However, these families have been through experiences that many of us simply couldn’t imagine, and I know many local people are eager to show them support and help them feel at home.

“One Community, the Kirklees Community Foundation, has launched a way for local people and businesses to make cash donations.

"The cash will be passed through to voluntary groups working directly with vulnerable migrants who are living in Kirklees."

Anyone wanting to make a donation can visit the foundation’s website www.one-community.org.uk

Clr Tim Swift, leader of Calderdale Council, said: “We have welcomed two Syrian families to Calderdale as part of the scheme. The families have suffered horrendous hardship and persecution in war-torn Syria and are amongst those refugees who the government has identified as being most in need of support.

Calais Eurotunnel migrants. Inside the camp where the migrants near the ferry port known as the Jungle.

“We are doing everything we can to keep them safe and help them start a new life in Calderdale. We have received funding from the government to ensure they get the services they need to settle in as quickly as possible.”

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Mr Brown said the resettlement programme had gone well so far.

“I was at the airport last week when people came in and you can’t help wonder what’s going through their minds after they’ve been through so much,” he said.

“The overwhelming memory for me is they’re just normal people. They’re coming through thinking what they want for their family, how they’re going to get on with their lives."