Rescued: Navy brings home 280 Britons stranded by ash cloud

Hundreds of Britons stranded by the Icelandic volcano clambered aboard a Royal Navy warship today for the journey home.

With the ban on flights entering its sixth day, 280 people, including many classified as "vulnerable", boarded HMS Albion in the northern Spanish port of Santander along with 450 service personnel returning from Afghanistan. Many British holidaymakers not deemed vulnerable had also turned up after hearing of the rescue plan. At first they were told: "There's no room. The ship is crammed full."

But then Commander Geoff Wintle said: "We're going to get everyone on. Nobody is being left behind." The 33-year-old officer said conditions would be sparse with no bunks available. He added: "It's a warship so they won't be used to the austere conditions, but they will get fresh rations, fish and chips for dinner tonight and curry tomorrow.

"We will provide as many camp beds and sleeping bags as we can, but it's not a five-star hotel.

"There's a dry policy on board so there won't be any drinking going on." With an estimated 120,000 Britons still stuck overseas:

London remained closed to planes and only a handful of flights operated in Scotland and the north of England.

Thousands of Britons streamed towards Calais after Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said 20,000 extra spaces a day were available on cross-Channel ferries and Eurostar and also on services laid on by Eurotunnel trains.

The Met Office said the volcanic eruptions were "weaker" but ash continued to blow across the UK.

British Airways abandoned plans to operate long-haul flights this evening after cancelling all short-haul flights.

Gordon Brown's plan to deploy HMS Ark Royal and HMS Ocean to bring home Britons stuck in France was put on the back burner.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "HMS Ocean and HMS Ark Royal are poised and ready for tasking if directed."

Boris Johnson's father Stanley, 69, and his wife Jenny, returning from South America, were among the lucky ones to board the Albion. He said: "I suppose the Government is trying to do its best and keeping the Dunkirk spirit alive." Also on board was Major Angus Henderson, 40, of the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh. He was desperate to get home to see his wife Helena, 40, and children James, nine, Elsa, six and Monty, four, following a six-month tour in Helmand province.

The officer was also hoping to make it in time for the funeral of Fusilier Jonathan Burgess, 20, who was killed in Afghanistan this month.

He said: "I've lost count of the amount of planes and buses we've been on to get here. Now I'm just looking forward to four weeks off, and catching up with the 20 or so injured troops who are in hospital back home."

Personnel from Hampshire-based 33 Field Hospital regiment and No 9 Squadron RAF were on board. Albion is due back at Portsmouth late tomorrow.

Londoners Jeremy Dickinson, 46, and wife Cecilia, boarded the Albion with children Nicola, four, Thomas, eight and Sofia, six. They were returning home after a four-week holiday in Argentina. Mr Dickinson said: "The British Embassy in Madrid told us we were classed as vulnerable' people because we have three young children. I'm incredibly relieved to be going home. It's a massive relief."

Craig Davison, 38, and wife Sue, 40, told how they rented a car in Malaga and drove 1,000 miles to Santander with sons Sam, 14, and Will, 12, to find a way back home to Cheltenham. Mr Davison said: "We were told by the British Embassy in Madrid this was the best way to get home so we've driven overnight to get here." Most places on board Albion had been allocated by the British Embassy in Madrid to holidaymakers with medical conditions. They were then bussed to Santander. Commercial ferries operating between Santander and British ports are sold out until May 1. At Downing Street, the Prime Minister said it was "pretty clear" that there was space on cross-Channel ferries. Foreign Secretary David Miliband encouraged passengers to head for Calais. Mr Brown said: "If people are trying to get back from Europe they should use the facilities that are available. We will lay on extra facilities, including HMS Ocean and HMS Ark Royal if those are needed."

The National Air Traffic Service allowed flights to enter UK airspace above 20,000 feet but planes could only land in eastern Scotland, Newcastle and Teesside. These rules were confirmed at 3pm until 1am tomorrow. A further update was due at 9pm. The Mayor said he was concerned the flight ban could last indefinitely, and demanded to whether the decision to close UK air space was correct.

He said: "My anxiety clearly, given the damage that this is going to do to the London and to the UK economy, is that this no-fly zone, this closure of the airspace over the country, could just go on for an indefinite period of time at this level of risk to aviation."

He added: "I am listening to voices in the aviation sector who say they are well used to flying in volcano zones and they well understand the risks associated with plumes of volcanic ash."