The border crossing... by bike: Hundreds of migrants are cycling from Russia to Norway after officials banned travelling by foot 

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Hundreds of migrants are using children’s bicycles to cross a border – after officials banned people making the journey on foot.

Men are seen struggling to balance as they wobble on the tiny bikes at the checkpoint between Russia and Norway.

After making an epic journey from as far as Syria and Afghanistan, they make the final metres to Western Europe on two wheels at the Storskog border post.

Hundreds of migrants have cycled into Norway from Russia after finding a new route into Europe that avoids the deadly Mediterranean crossing

Men are seen struggling to balance as they wobble on the bikes at the checkpoint between Russia and Norway

They have been forced to use the loophole after Russian authorities outlawed crossings on foot, while under Norwegian law it is illegal to drive people into the country if they do not have the proper papers.

Locals near the Arctic Circle checkpoint are now doing a roaring trade selling a border crossing package for £130 – which includes a taxi ride from a nearby town to the border and bicycle hire.

Migrants buy children’s fold-up bicycles because they are cheaper than adult versions. They are then able to make the 130-yard journey across no-man’s land without breaking any laws.

Once across, piles of discarded bicycles build up outside the office of the Norwegian customs police and are cleared away every two or three days.

Locals near the Arctic Circle checkpoint are now doing a roaring trade selling a crossing package for £130

Despite the almost unimaginable distance, the crossing is proving a magnet for migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon who travelled across Russia rather than tackle the deadly Mediterranean by boat.

Only seven asylum seekers arrived at the crossing last year, but there have been 1,100 so far this month alone. A new reception centre is being built in the nearby town of Kirkenes to accommodate the rising numbers of arrivals.

Thousands of migrants who arrived in Macedonia in June also used bicycles after they were banned from public transport.

Arriving on foot, they bought bikes from enterprising locals for the next leg of their journey towards neighbouring Serbia.