The Royal Air Force is flying in aid for more than 3,000 families left stranded by the devastating floods in Pakistan.

A C17, the force's largest transport aircraft, carrying 3,000 shelter kits, was scheduled to land in Islamabad.

The kits will provide more than 15,000 flood victims with plastic sheeting, pegs and ropes, to erect temporary shelters for protection against the ongoing monsoon rains.

The RAF is also sending a C130 Hercules into Multan in the southern province of Punjab on Sunday with an additional 500-plus shelter kits.

The British Government has now committed £64 million to help people in Pakistan affected by the floods.

Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey said: "The disaster in Pakistan demands a co-ordinated international response. I am pleased that, while continuing to support our ongoing efforts in Afghanistan, the RAF has been able to provide airlift capacity to help the people of Pakistan.

"The Ministry of Defence will continue to do whatever we can to provide assistance to the Department for International Development in bringing essential aid supplies to the region."

The RAF and the Department for International Development have already worked together on three previous flights to provide aid in Pakistan.

The aid was arriving as Unicef trebled its appeal for funds to help women and children.

The charity is calling for £90 million in donations, a dramatic increase from its request for £30 million issued previously.