Colonel Gaddafi's rant came as he attempted to regain lost territory with air strikes against the re

He spoke after more than 1,000 refugees landed on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa in just 12 hours.

Gaddafi stormed: “Thousands of people from Libya will invade Europe. There will be no one to stop them any more.”

His rant came as he attempted to regain lost territory with air strikes against the rebels.

The United Nations has launched a £100million emergency appeal to set up camps for the million foreign workers trapped in the war-torn country.

Meanwhile, rebel fighters faced increasingly tough resistance from Gaddafi loyalists as they battled to move westwards from their stronghold in Benghazi.

Residents fled fighting at Ras Lanuf. The oil-producing town had its port closed after Gaddafi’s pilots launched a series of air strikes, including one on a car carrying a fleeing family.