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In September the Norwegian government announced plans to grant the police an additional £10million to forcibly remove failed asylum seekers by the end of 2017.

The grant came after police were tasked with removing 9,000 migrants by the end of 2016 as the country deals with the deepening crisis.

State Secretary Fabian Stang confirmed on Friday the number of deportations were at the highest number ever, up five per cent from figures in 2015, when the crisis began.

Mr Stang, who is secretary for Immigration Minister Sylvi Listhaug, told NRK: “This is a figure that shows that there have been many who do not have a legitimate claim to asylum who have stayed here and failed to leave the country, and that’s why it is necessary for the police to do the work they have done throughout the year.”