The Type 42 destroyer steamed into the southern port of Limassol with its passengers, accompanied by two support tugs.

Consular staff, the Foreign Office's rapid deployment team and immigration officials flown over from the UK were standing on the dock to greet them.

The passengers, mainly women and children, are the first of an anticipated 5,000 Britons who have decided to leave Lebanon.

Sixty-three people have already been airlifted from the troubled country by helicopter.

They were considered to be the most urgent cases, who were either elderly or ill.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said a chartered flight had been organised by the Government to take those arriving in Cyprus back to the UK.

The flight will leave from Akrotiri this afternoon.
A second Type 42 destroyer, HMS York, is expected to bring more Britons from Lebanon to Cyprus later.

There are up to 12,000 British nationals and a further 10,000 dual nationals living in Lebanon.