Scientists trapped in Arctic by polar bears

Five meteorologists working on Russia's remote Troynoy Island are trapped - because 10 polar bears have occupied the area surrounding the research station.

Flares are often an effective means of getting the bears to run away, but the crew has run out of them.

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The polar bears are now free to get as close as they'd like, and, according to the expedition's leader, Vadim Plotnikov: "As of Saturday, a female bear has practically been sleeping under the Arctic station's windows."

When speaking to NBC News, the supervisor of the station, Vasily Shevchenko, said: "The bears live in the Arctic, you know - we can't ban them from hanging around."

Although polar bears are known to live in the area, the population has doubled in size to a dozen this year, ITV reports.

As long as the crew members don't leave the building, they are not considered to be in danger.

According to the Guardian the team is made up of two married couples and an individual who are all living at the base on Troynoy Island.

The island is just 27km in length but is still the biggest in the Izvestiy Tsik archipelago.

A ship carrying supplies, including bear-scaring explosives, should reach the station in about a month.