Around 100 Ukrainians already live in Herefordshire, new figures show, as the refugee crisis in the country worsens.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the United Kingdom could accept more than 200,000 Ukrainian refugees, with the Home Office creating a family migration visa for those with immediate family in the UK.

It means spouses or civil partners, unmarried partners who have lived together for at least two years, children, parents, grandparents and siblings of Ukrainian nationals living in the UK can enter with a visa.

In Herefordshire, there are roughly 100 Ukrainian residents, Office for National Statistics figures outline.

They are among 37,530 Ukrainians living in England and Wales.

The data, from the 2021 census, has been released early by the ONS to aid local authorities in emergency response planning.

The figures also show that approximately 70 Russian nationals live in Herefordshire – among 53,120 in England and Wales.

The United Nations has said more than 1 million people have fled Ukraine, while the European Union ultimately expects to receive 4 million refugees in total, and several million more to be displaced internally.

The UK’s response has been criticised by opposition parties and refugee charities, with calls to waive visas entirely.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said this would be unsafe, arguing that “security and biometric checks are a fundamental part of our visa approval process worldwide and will continue”.

However, the Refugee Council has said the Government must do more to help Ukrainians fleeing war.