THE first Syrian refugees selected by the government could arrive on British soil in the coming few days, Theresa May told the the Commons yesterday.

More of the 20,000 refugees that the Home Office has agreed to take in by 2020 will arrive in the following weeks as “the resettlement programme is progressing at pace,” said the Home Secretary.

The refugees will mainly be from camps in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. Britain will also set up “screening centres” in Italy and Greece to filter and process asylum claims.

Ms May repeatedly dismissed recommendations for Britain to take in 120,000 people that have already arrived at the borders of European Union countries.

Gasps in the chamber and press gallery were heard after Conservative MP Bill Cash branded refugees and migrants a “tsunami” that would “swamp Europe.”

His outburst comes after Tory PM David Cameron was criticised for describing refugees fleeing war and poverty as a “swarm” in July.

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond called on the Home Secretary to make a stand against the “dehumanising language” some MPs use.

Stressing that asylum should not be “viewed as an easy means of settlement,” Ms May also briefly mentioned plans to also set up screening centres in “hot spots” such as war-torn east Africa to weed out so-called “illegal economic migrants.”

Labour shadow home secretary Andy Burnham asked whether the government had targets for how many refugees will be helped by Christmas, and whether these would include people living in the camp at Calais in northern France.

The Tories “failed to table any practical proposals to tackle the situation” and they are ignoring the “realities on the ground in Europe,” he charged, adding: “Our response to this crisis will define us for a generation.”

There is no year-by-year quota or a target for Christmas, Ms May replied.

Conservative MP Tania Mathias, who represents Twickenham, asked whether the 50 councils that had pledged to help would be given long-term funding.

Ms May said that official development assistance is available for just 12 months — though refugees would be given a five-year “humanitarian protection visa.”

Tory Chancellor George Osborne is “looking at the issue of funding in context of spending review,” Ms May said, claiming that refugees would be allowed to receive benefits and work.