SIX former British soldiers have been released from an Indian prison four years after they were charged with weapons offences.

The so-called Chennai Six, who had been guards on a ship to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean, won an appeal against their convictions on Monday.

The men, who include Nick Dunn, 31 from Northumberland, Nicholas Simpson, 47, of Catterick, and Paul Towers, 54, of Pocklington, near York, were escorted out of Puzhal Central Prison by British consular officials and were taken by car to the Deputy High Commission.

The other men freed are Billy Irving, 37, from Argyll and Bute, John Armstrong, 30, of Wigton, Cumbria, and Ray Tindall, 42, of Chester.

The former soldiers were jailed in October 2013 after being charged with smuggling weapons and ammunition.

They were all allowed to make phone calls home and are now dealing with the logistics of where they will be staying.

Joanne Tomlinson, the sister of Mr Armstrong, said she had received a call from her brother from the British embassy.

She said: “It was a very quick conversation and he spoke to my mum and dad as well. We were talking about where they are going to be staying and how he gets his belongings back which are being held by his friend in India. I’m hoping once he gets a proper meal into him we will be able to have a proper conversation.”

Yvonne McHugh, partner of Mr Irving, said he had phoned her immediately after his release, but “couldn’t quite believe it had happened”. “He’s just over the moon and didn’t think they would be released. He took everything that was said with a pinch of salt and didn’t believe it. We are hoping they could be home in two weeks. If it’s less than that it will be a miracle. They will go to a hotel in Chennai and be able to sleep in a bed and have a proper shower for the first time in about two years.”

They could now face a wait of several weeks before documentation comes through which will allow them to return to the UK.