COUNCIL leaders are urgently drawing up plans to accommodate at least 1000 refugees fleeing war and persecution after backing Nicola Sturgeon's call for Scotland to give them sanctuary.

Local authorities are already in talks to help people displaced from Syria and other nations as political leaders came together to demand a more compassionate response to the migrant crisis from David Cameron.

The First Minister told MSPs yesterday she was moved to tears by the image of three year old Syrian Aylan Kurdi, whose body was found on a Turkish beach after the small boat they were on capsized. His brother Galip, five, and their mother died in the incident as they tried to reach the Greek island of Kos.

It has fuelled demands for Britain to play a greater role in tackling the crisis.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Sturgeon called on the Government to reconsider its response and join the co-ordinated EU-wide effort to accommodate people.

She wrote: "The scale of such a humanitarian emergency is immense but it is not insurmountable.

"We recognise the need for long term, coordinated action to tackle the causes of this crisis but this cannot be a substitute for an immediate humanitarian response."

Ms Sturgeon will convene a summit of Scots humanitarian organisations, civic and church leaders today (Fri) to discuss further help that could be offered.

A Scottish Refugee Council spokeswoman said: "We very much welcome the First Minister’s comments and support her call for the UK Government to do more to help people in need of safety.

"The Scottish Government has said clearly that they are ready and willing to meet our moral obligation to help people in need.

She added: "The families arriving in Europe...are here in search of one thing: a place of safety."

Cllr Archie Graham, depute leader of Glasgow City Council, which has taken 55 Syrian refugees said: "We have made it very clear that we are willing to welcome many more.

"Helping vulnerable people who are fleeing war and persecution is simply the right thing to do. Glasgow doesn’t turn its back to those facing a humanitarian crisis."

Fife Council leader David Ross said he is to propose a motion to councillors later this month asking them endorse his plans inviting ideas for local support from them.

He added: “I’ve asked the chief executive to discuss the matter with council officers and propose actions that we can take here in Fife to help address the plight of Syrian refugees."

A spokesman for Cosla, the councils umbrella body, said: “We look forward to working with Scottish Government to ensure that these refugees have the support they need to build a new life in Scotland"

More than 7,000 people are planning to attend a planned vigil for refugees in Glasgow's George Square on Saturday September 12.

A petition to the UK Parliament demanding more support for refugees and for more to be allowed into Britain will be heard by MPs, after being backed by 280,000 people.

It comes ahead of Home Secretary's Theresa May's visit to Brussels on September 14, where she will discuss the refugee crisis with her 27 EU counterparts.

Mr Cameron, who argued on Wednesday that "taking more and more" people was not the answer, said: "Britain is a moral nation and we will fulfil our moral responsibilities." He said he was "deeply moved" by the image of the dead boy.

He faced growing pressure from across the UK as the plight of thousands of refugees arriving in Europe was again highlighted by chaotic scenes in Hungary, where police tried to move people off a train and into a camp.

The Prime Minister said President Assad in Syria and the "butchers of Isil" were mainly to blame for the deaths of people crossing the Mediterranean.

He hinted the Government might attempt to extend bombings against Isil into Syria when Parliament returns, saying Britain must "deal with the problems" in the country.

At Holyrood, an emotional Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: "That wee boy has touched our hearts, but his is not an isolated tragedy.

"He and thousands like him whose lives are at risk is not somebody else's responsibility, they are the responsibility of us all.

"So, I am angry, very angry, at the walk on by on the other side approach of the UK Government."

Holyrood's European and external affairs committee will also hold a short inquiry into possible future support for refugees.

Ms Sturgeon's spokesman said the "absolute minimum" number of refugees Scotland should accept was 1000, the country's approximate share of 10,000 people who would settle in the UK under proposals put forward by Labour.

Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, said: "Scotland can speak with one voice and match our compassion with the action we are all willing to take."

Labour MSP Patricia Ferguson broke down in tears as the crisis dominated First Ministers Questions.

Earlier, Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson sent an emphatic message to Mr Cameron, telling the BBC: "It’s not an immigration issue it’s a humanitarian crisis."

More than 100,000 refugees and other migrants reached the EU's borders in July alone, a new record.

As well as Syria, tens of thousands have arrived from Afghanistan and Pakistan, Kosovo and sub-Saharan Africa.