Spanish police have said more than 100 African migrants managed to force their way into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco when they tried to storm the highly fortified border on Wednesday.

Television footage showed some of the migrants with bloodied arms and legs, apparently caused by the razor wire that tops the border fences, cheering as they walked towards a temporary reception centre.

Most of them were young men. “I love Spain!” one shouted. Some were draped in European Union and Spanish flags.

Spanish police spokesman said five migrants were injured in the jump, and seven Spanish policemen suffered burns caused by a corrosive substance thrown by the migrants.

The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) says more than 3,800 migrants have crossed the Moroccan border into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla so far this year.

The route accounted for 14 per cent of more than 27,000 who arrived, mainly by sea, between January and July, a 130 per cent increase on the previous year.