Britain is to start enhanced screening today of passengers coming to the UK from the countries worst affected by the Ebola outbreak.

Checks will begin at London Heathrow's Terminal 1, and will then be expanded to Gatwick Airport and the Eurostar rail terminals by the end of the week.

The move is designed to halt the spread of a disease which has killed more than 4,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Previously, British Airways was the only airline that operated a direct service to the UK from the affected area.

Although it stopped flying to Liberia and Sierra Leone in August, there are fears that people who have picked up infections in those countries may try to reach the UK by another route.

About 1,000 passengers a month are said to travel to the UK from the three countries.

The UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that it is "likely" that Ebola will be seen in the UK - with around 10 cases expected to be confirmed in the next three months.

He said the screening measures being put in place should ensure 89% of people travelling to the UK from the affected region on tickets booked directly to the UK are checked.

In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Hunt said: "Whilst there are no direct flights from the affected region, there are indirect routes into the UK."

"In the next week, Public Health England will start screening and monitoring UK bound air passengers identified by the Border Force coming on to the main routes from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea."

"This will allow potential Ebola virus carriers arriving in the UK to be identified, tracked and given rapid access to expert health advice should they develop symptoms."

Anyone found to have Ebola will be moved to the Royal Free Hospital in north London, the UK's specialist centre for treating the most dangerous infectious diseases, Mr Hunt said.

Other facilities may be made available in Newcastle, Liverpool and Sheffield, to make a total of 26 beds available, he added.

Mr Hunt said screening at airports could be extended to Birmingham and Manchester if the threat level increases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the epidemic is the "most severe...health emergency in modern times".

A nurse who became the first person to contract the disease in the United States, after treating a sufferer who had flown into the country from the affected area, is still in a stable condition in isolation.