Nearly 110,000 migrants were tracked entering the EU in July by irregular means, official data showed yesterday, setting a record as the influx continues, notably of Syrians reaching Greek islands from Turkey.

The EU’s border control agency Frontex said that it had detected some 107,500 people arriving outside regular channels in July, a sharp increase on the previous record set in June of over 70,000, and more than three times as many as it registered in the same month last year.

The most active frontiers were those of the Greek islands in the Aegean off Turkey, where nearly 50,000 people were recorded arriving by sea, mainly on Lesbos, Chios, Samos and Kos.

Nearly 340,000 such migrants were seen so far this year arriving in the EU, mainly in Italy, Greece and Hungary. That was a 175 per cent rise on the same period last year and much more than the 280,000 registered arrivals in 2014.

Other EU data shows 625,920 people claimed asylum in the bloc last year.

In Germany alone, which recorded 203,000 claims last year, officials expect to register some 750,000 refugees this year.

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