Sweden reinstates border controls with Denmark

Sweden has introduced border controls with Denmark in an attempt to stop illegal immigrants getting into the country.

The Swedes have one of the world's most generous social security systems making it attractive to the hundreds of thousands of illegal economic immigrants traveling from the Middle East, Africa and Asia to take advantage of the welcome given to Syrian refugees.

The new border controls mean that nobody will be able to travel from Denmark to Sweden without producing valid photo ID. Commuters traveling to Sweden by train will be diverted to Copenhagen airport where they will have to go through passport control before catching another train to Sweden.

The Scandinavian countries have historically had very close ties with open borders and other initiatives through the Nordic Council from as early as 1952.