Britain will send food, shelters and medical supplies to help people affected by fighting in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Foreign Secretary has said.

Dominic Raab announced a £1 million aid package for civilians caught up in the crisis following an appeal by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The UK will supply dressing kits, bandages, blankets, food parcels and basic hygiene items to vulnerable communities living near to the conflict.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the latest fighting, which began on September 27.

It is the largest escalation of hostilities over the separatist region in the quarter of a century since the war ended.

Mr Raab said: “Today’s UK aid package will help deliver vital food, medicine and urgent healthcare to those affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“We continue to urge both sides to engage with the OSCE Minsk Group and seek a peaceful, negotiated, political solution which the people of the region so desperately need.”