It is a familiar story. People from another country, wanting to find homes in Britain, facing problems when they arrive at the airport.

Thirty travellers from the coral island of Diego Garcia have been sleeping rough at Gatwick for almost two weeks. They have marched on a council office in Crawley to demand help.

The difference between these people and many others is that they all have British passports.

Normally the authorities at airports such as Gatwick deal with refugees and asylum-seekers who may not be allowed to stay.

The influx from Diego Garcia would hardly forsake their beautiful island for Crawley through choice.

These people have been forced out because most of the island has become an air base.

It seems wrong they should have to form a camp when other people, possibly with a lesser claim to live in Britain, are given temporary housing.

Perhaps they should be the responsibility of a council at Heathrow, where most of them originally landed, rather than Gatwick.

But just through common humanity, the authorities at Gatwick should help these people, who are almost destitute, by giving them advice.

They have been badly treated in their homeland and now they are being badly treated here.

If they have British passports, they have the right to come here and be given help to start new, productive lives.