Blackpool Council says it has yet to take in Afghanistan refugees but it's searching for accommodation to help out

It comes as more families move into the county and follows on from Fylde Council confirming the borough will welcome five Afghan families

Council bosses said they want to 'assist in any way' to help relocate anyone who has been rescued from the country, which has been taken over by the Taliban.

A spokesman for Blackpool Council said: "We have not as yet taken in any refugees from Afghanistan but we have helped refugees in the past and are currently are looking at whether we have accommodation locally that can be used to support the commitment to the ARAP

"We work in partnership with our neighbouring authority, Lancashire, to support the resettlement of refugees across the region and to ensure that they have the support they need on arrival and while they settle in to their new community.

"We are working with the refugee team to assist in any way we can with the additional pressure that the recent call to action has highlighted."

As part of the Afghan LES Relocation Scheme, Lancashire County Council is coordinating the intake of Afghan refugees on behalf of all local authorities in Lancashire.

An LCC spokesman said this is because it is easier to pool and distribute the funds from the Home Office so that it is able to provide larger, countywide specialist services, such as Refugee Health Advocacy and interpreting.

County Coun Peter Buckley, cabinet member for community and cultural services, said: "This week we will be welcoming six Afghan families into Lancashire, as part of the UK Government's Afghan LES Relocation Scheme.

"The scheme protects the human rights of Afghan people who were employed by the British Army to support our troops in Afghanistan, as well as their families, by finding them homes in the UK.

"As part of this effort, Lancashire County Council is coordinating the arrival of 94 families across the county, with our first family arriving in Lancaster last month.

"This is after councils across the county answered calls to make a pledge to support families fleeing Afghanistan after their Government was toppled by the Taliban.

"The families will be supported financially by the Home Office while they integrate within their new communities over the next 12 months.

"I would personally like to offer our new families a warm welcome, on behalf of everyone at Lancashire County Council.

"The three families will no doubt be feeling anxious about starting a new life in a new country, but I am sure the good people of Lancashire will make them feel at home in no time at all."

The government has saidthat the UK intends to welcome up to 20,000 Afghans over a five-year period – with 5,000 of them set to arrive before the end of the year.