Army starts building fence on Greek border

Soldiers in Macedonia began erecting a metal fence on Saturday on the country's southern border with Greece, but the government said it had no plans to seal off access to refugees fleeing war and heading to western Europe.

Soldiers drove metal poles around 3 metres high into the cold, muddy ground, building a barrier similar to that erected by Hungary on its southern border to keep out the hundreds of thousands of migrants who have crossed the Balkans this year.

A government spokesman said the aim was "to direct the inflow of people towards the controlled points for their registration and humane treatment." "The border will remain open. We will allow passage for the people who come from war-affected regions as we have done thus far," he said.