Corfu and Rhodes evacuations LIVE as fires spread and third Greek island hit

Thousands of people are being evacuated from Greek islands today after wildfires spread across the region.

Up to 19,000 people - including swathes of British holidaymakers - have had to flee Rhodes after fires took hold in the country. Sea evacuations have also been ordered in nearby Corfu after blazes also hit it.

Speaking on Monday morning, foreign office minister Andrew Mitchell said up to 10,000 Brits are still on Rhodes. He said the Government is asking people to contact their tour operator rather than directly advising people whether to travel to Rhodes.

Repatriation flights have been dispatched to the Greek islands to rescue Brits who have been stranded. Two flights from Rhodes landed in Manchester this morning. Meanwhile, a British Foreign Office spokesman confirmed a Rapid Deployment Team had arrived on Rhodes to support travel operators in bringing Brits home.

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In Corfu, people in the areas of Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia, Perithia and Sinies on the island have been told to evacuate. Boats have been dispatched to evacuate residents by sea, a government official said.

Mum-of-two Jodie told the Manchester Evening News how her family was forced to desperately flee her Rhodes hotel with her husband and two children just hours after arriving on the island. Jodie, 32, and husband Matt, 35, had flown out from Manchester but were forced to quickly run for their lives from their hotel in Kiotari, cradling their children before jumping on a boat and abandoning their suitcases on the beach.

The BBC is also reporting that a third Greek island, Evia, has also issued evacuation orders. The island, off Greece's eastern coast, has told Livadi,