Lebanese civilians and aid workers face even more dangers on their return home as experts fear that around 10 per cent of the 3,000 rockets, artillery shells, cluster bombs and other artillery being fired into Lebanon each day for the past 27 days of conflict remain unexploded.

The estimates leave returning civilians and aid workers exposed to around 7,000 unexploded munitions across the conflict zone.

Christian Aid’s security manager, Kiruja Micheni, who is currently in Beirut, said: “If there is a ceasefire, the 900,000 people believed to have fled the fighting will want to return home. But there is a danger that they could be injured or killed by unexploded ordnance, including cluster bombs.

“Aid workers too need to do proper risk assessments before setting up operations in the south. This ordinance will slow down the relief effort, but proper precautions must be taken.”