The BBC said on Wednesday it is launching an Albanian language news service for Kosovan refugees in the UK.

The weekly bulletins about Kosovo will be produced by the Albanian section of the BBC World Service. It will begin broadcasting via local radio stations on Friday.

An estimated 4,500 refugees who fled ethnic cleansing from the latest conflict in Kosovo live in the UK. These refugees are scattered around the country.

There are an estimated 10,000 other Kosovan Albanians in the UK.

Refugees tune in

The news round-up will be broadcast on stations such as Radio Cumbria, Radio York, Radio Derby and Radio Leicester.

Benny Ammar, World Service's head of Europe region, said "Latest research shows that 50% of Kosovans in the refugee camps in Albania are regularly listening to BBC broadcasts for impartial up-to-date news and information."

He said the partnership between World Service and local radio would mean they can continue to tune into broadcasts while they are in the UK.

The last time Britain took in large number of refugees was during the Bosnian conflict, when 5,000 people were housed in reception centres in areas such as the Midlands, Derby and West Yorkshire for three months.