A total of 4,300 Kosovo Albanians were airlifted to the UK as part of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) evacuation programme. Up to another 1,500 made their own way to Britain to flee the Balkans crisis.

The first groups, who have been staying in hostels throughout the north of England and Scotland, are due to fly to Kosovo from Leeds-Bradford airport on 26 July.

Each person will be given £250 as a relocation grant for food and other necessities. It is hoped this will also help boost their local economy.

The mass move is being co-ordinated by the Home Office, the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration.

Refugees face a tough homecoming

The latest figures from the UNHCR show that just over 685,000 ethnic Albanians have returned to Kosovo, with about 87,500 still in neighbouring countries.

UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said that between 2,000 and 3,000 refugees are returning each day.

The agencies involved in caring for refugees in the UK say they are desperate to return and find their families and houses. But it will not be easy for them to pick up the pieces in their war-torn country.

Many will return to find that their homes have been completely destroyed and that there is no adequate supply of food, water or healthcare.

They will also have to contend with the harsh Balkan winter, when temperatures can drop to -7C and snow blankets the countryside.

Provisions for children will be another consideration, as many have settled into UK education schools.

Kosovo's education system suffered considerably during the war and is not yet able to adequately serve returning pupils.

British forces leave Kosovo

And as the refugees leave the UK, the British forces that led the advance into Kosovo are to be withdrawn, Defence Secretary George Robertson has announced.

The withdrawal, which will begin on 1 August, will reduce the number of UK personnel in Kosovo from 10,000 to 7,000 by mid-October.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment and 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles will start pulling out from August, followed by the the Irish Guards battlegroup in October.

Mr Robertson praised the soldiers' work, and said he was aware the troops in Kosovo were "overstretched".

"These withdrawals underline our commitment to minimising these problems," he said.