Bulgarian authorities have begun construction on a new section of razor wire fence which will seal along its border with Turkey to block the flow of people smugglers.
Local officials say the new part of the 15ft high, 5ft wide fence will deter criminal gangs exploiting desperate refugees escaping war and terror in Syria, Iraq and North Africa.
It is the final portion of the fence, which began construction in November 2013, which will completely seal Bulgaria off from Turkey.
The Bulgarian border chief Ivan Stoyanov told the Daily Mail: “Our operation has stopped more than 500 migrants from crossing in the last month alone.
“Half were arrested by our Turkish colleagues and half were sent back. The aim of the migrants is not Bulgaria. They often want to get to other European countries like Britain. They use us as a place of transit.”
The fence is monitored 24 hours a day by armed guards stationed at strategic points along its current length. Infra red, motion sensitive cameras detect migrants trying to sneak through overnight.
According to the Times, more than 11,000 people, mainly Syrians, attempted to illegally cross in Bulgaria from Turkey in 2013.
The country is perceived as an easy entry route back into the EU for Isis fighters and the terrorist group even declared it would be part of their plan to expand their “caliphate” last year.
