At the start of a Commons statement on the UK aid effort for the refugees, Ms Short strongly rejected claims the international community should have prepared a network of camps for the displaced.

The minister said more than 100,000 people, mainly women and children, had been driven from their homes in recent days.

The flood of women, children and the elderly continues

"They are very, very frightened," she said. "They have brought with them stories of gross brutality and violence which forced them to flee and often their menfolk to stay."

But the Conservative development spokesman Gary Streeter accused Ms Short of "getting her retaliation in first".

He asked: "Did she anticipate the flood of refugees and did she prepare for it?

"Many people feel that at the same time planes were given the green light to fly, the humanitarian relief effort should have been ready to roll."

Ms Short rejected the attack and said the British aid effort was internationally renowned as the fastest to respond to any tragedy.

The United Kingdom had dedicated a £10m initial response to helping the refugees who have fled across all sides of the Kosovan border.

"We are using this funding to get the most urgently needed items to where they are most required," she said.

The first aid flight had delivered 42 tonnes of aid, such as tents and blankets, on Wednesday morning.

Shelter is among the key problems for refugees

A further eight relief flights were planned for the coming week and an assessment and monitoring team would depart for the region this weekend to determine where future aid should be targeted.

The development secretary repeatedly assured MPs the Kosovan Albanians forced to abandon their homes continued to support the Nato offensive against Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's forces.

"Everyone should be clear that the Kosovo refugees support the military action, they need emergency help with food, shelter and other emergency provisions, but they are clear that they support the Nato action and they want to return to their homes," she said.

Earlier, at Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative leader William Hague proposed government funding to double all money donated to help the refugees.

Ms Short rejected this when it was proposed again by Mr Streeter. She said sufficient funding existed to provide aid to all existing refugees. The problem lay in getting it to them.