Denmark’s employment minister has demanded immediate action after it emerged that at least 36 Danish citizens received tens of thousands of pounds worth of unemployment benefits despite having left the country to fight with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The Danish security service PET has reported 36 people fighting in Syria to the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment in an attempt to stop benefits, the Ekstra Bladet tabloid reported, citing documents received from the country's employment ministry under Denmark's freedom of information laws.

Together the men have received well over 672,000 Danish kroner (£77,000) since leaving to fight.

“It is totally unacceptable and a disgrace. It should be stopped,” Denmark’s Employment Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Ekstra Bladet.

“If you travel down to be part of the war in Syria, where you are an Islamic State warrior, then you should obviously not be receiving any benefits from the government.”