British Prime Minister David Cameron says the United Kingdom will accept "thousands more" Syrian refugees to help Europe cope with a massive influx of migrants and refugees.

Cameron said Friday his country has already agreed to take around 5,000 Syrians fleeing from their country's war but as the crisis has grown it planned to accept more.

He said in a statement during an official visit to Lisbon, Portugal, that his government will announce next week how many more people it will receive and under what terms.

He said Britain intends to take Syrians directly from refugee camps in the Middle East, not from places where they have arrived in Europe.

He said "Britain will act with our head and our heart" on the issue. He did not take reporters' questions.