Team GB Bask In Heroes' Welcome As They Arrive Home From Rio

Team GB's ecstatic athletes have arrived back home to a heroes' welcome following their best Olympics in more than a century.

A gold-nosed Boeing 747 with "victoRIOus" emblazoned on the side and 320 athletes and support staff on board landed at Heathrow airport just before 10am.

There were cheers and applause airside as the athletes filed off the plane, proudly wearing their medals.

Pictures from inside the plane showed a party atmosphere as the athletes cheered and belted out the national anthem.

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Rowing gold medallist Helen Glover tweeted pictures from the "flight of a lifetime", including one of gymnast Max Whitlock holding a pose and balancing on two chairs. He won two golds in Rio in just over an hour.

The jet - which also carried pole vault poles, javelins, bicycles and a 6.7m sail - was loaded with 77 extra champagne bottles and treats for team members, who were offered a three-course menu.

Other heroes of Rio, including cycling golden couple Jason Kenny and Laura Trott, had already arrived back in the UK before the official Team GB flight.

As they walked through arrivals at Heathrow, the Olympians were greeted by fans waving flags and holding aloft "welcome" placards.

Athletes went on to greet their family and friends and could be seen embracing their loved ones - some of whom they had not seen for weeks.

Team GB's historic success saw their biggest medal haul in a century, with 27 golds, 23 silvers and 17 bronzes. They finished second in the medal table.

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Swimmer Adam Peaty, who started the gold medal rush on the first Sunday of the Games, said: "We are in such a bubble.

"I can't wait to get back home. It is great to be back on British soil and inspire the next generation of athletes."

Rower Katherine Grainger, Britain's most-decorated female Olympian after claiming a silver in the women's double skulls, said the "immense sense of pride" felt as teammates won medals was "infectious".

Dina Asher-Smith, who won bronze in the women's 4x100m relay after spending London 2012 as a "box carrier" - collecting kit for the competing athletes, said she hoped she would inspire others to success in Tokyo.

Britain's Olympians can now look forward to victory parades and royal honours as reward for their success.

Prime Minister Theresa May has announced there will be a parade in Manchester and a further event in London in October.

Downing Street also said there would be "no formal cap" on the number of honours that can be handed out to Team GB medal winners.

The team's performances drew praise from the Royal Family.

The Queen offered her "warmest congratulations" for an "remarkable achievement".

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, meanwhile, lauded the team's achievement as an "inspiration to us all, young and old".