The escalating refugee crisis in mainland Europe has captured headlines in recent weeks as those fleeing violence in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan try to make a new life in European countries.

Coverage of the humanitarian chaos came to head earlier this month (Sep15) when a picture of three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, who washed up dead on a Turkish beach, hit newstands over the world.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to let thousands of refugees into the U.K. from camps on the Syrian border, but several stars have now signed a letter calling on politicians to do more for displaced families.

In the letter, published as an advertisement in Britain's The Guardian newspaper on Friday (11Sep15), they write, "We have a moral responsibility to offer a safe haven to people fleeing war and persecution; a responsibility that should be shared with our European neighbours and not simply shouldered by the countries closest to the turbulence driving people from their homes. The Government's recent commitment on refugee resettlement is too little over too long...

"We believe the British Government can do better, and must do better in its proposals to resettle people seeking safety and peace... In (the Kurdi) name, and that of the millions of others displaced from their homes, we urge that the U.K. Government wake up to the urgency of the current crisis and work with its European counterparts to offer immediate humanitarian help and agree long-term solutions to refugee resettlement."

The letter was also signed by other stars including Benedict Cumberbatch, Roger Waters, Sir Michael Caine, Carey Mulligan and Damon Albarn.