REUTERS Denmark has closed its borders with Germany after thousands of refugees cross the country

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All road and rail links between Denmark and Germany have been closed to prevent thousands of migrants entering as the rift in Europe deepens further. The migrants were heading north to Sweden, which has become a top destination for refugees after promising to issue residency papers to all Syrian asylum seekers. Having already reached Germany, which has offered similar promises, the migrants decided they wanted to get to Sweden but were forced off trains.

It has led to the Danish government concluding those entering the country are economic migrants as well as refugees. In dramatic scenes, about 300 migrants began making a deadly journey on the E45 motorway – the main road link between Germany and Denmark. A police spokesman said: "We are trying to talk to them and tell them that it is a really bad idea to walk on the motorway."

REUTERS Refugees hoping to get to Sweden arrived in in Padborg this morning

Denmark's DSB rail operator said trains to and from Germany had been suspended until further notice because of exceptional passport checks. Two trains carrying more than 200 people are being held in Rodby, a major port with ferry links to Germany. Danish police said many migrants are refusing to leave the trains because they do not want to be registered in Denmark, where the new centre-right government has promised to get tough on immigration.

REUTERS Motorway and train links between Germany and Denmark have been closed

What we are facing right now is not only a refugee problem, it is also a migration problem Lars Lokke-Rasmussen

About 3,000 people have entered the country since the weekend - but refugees are reluctant to register in Denmark which has slashed benefits for new arrivals and restricted the right to residency. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke-Rasmussen said: "This clearly shows that what we are facing right now is not only a refugee problem, it is also a migration problem." Denmark's decision to close its transport links with Germany comes after the European Commission announced its plan to distribute 120,000 additional asylum seekers between European Union (EU) members. Britain, Ireland and Denmark are not legally bound to take part. But Denmark is part of the EU's Schengen zone, where borders are meant to be open to allow free movement.

REUTERS Many refugees are refusing to leave the trains to avoid being registered in Denmark

Many of those fleeing Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq want to resettle in Germany or Sweden, which have generous policies for refugees compared to other EU states. Police spokesman Carsten Andersen said: "We know that many of them want to go to Sweden, but naturally we cannot let that happen. "So right now, we have asked them to start a dialogue. We are waiting patiently for some of them to agree to that and stick their heads out of the trains." Justice Minister Søren Pind said he was cutting short a trip to the United States to return to Denmark.