SYRIA is trying to stop women and children fleeing the country, refugees and activists have told The Daily Telegraph.

The attempt, which is assumed to be intended to prevent men defecting or joining the opposition, has led to a buildup of thousands of refugees inside the borders with Lebanon and Jordan.

“Most families that fled to Lebanon in recent weeks escaped Syria using smuggling routes,” said Burhan Abu Saleh, a spokesman for a volunteer Syrian refugee group. “Some have relatives who are activists, and so would risk arrest at the official border, but many went and were turned back.”

But tens of thousands of refugees are continuing to try to leave, despite the current supposed ceasefire and peace plan put forward by Kofi Annan, the UN envoy. Yesterday, a visit by members of the UN monitoring mission withdrew from Arbeen, a Damascus suburb, after troops started shooting at a crowd of protesters, activists said. The Syrian authorities said they were drawing up a “protocol” with the monitors to allow the arrival of the main party, supposed to consist of 250 peacekeepers.

The flow of refugees to Jordan and Lebanon is particularly worrying for the regime of President Bashar al-assad.

Mr Abu Saleh said it had become “common” for families to be refused exit at the Masnaa border crossing between Beirut and Damascus. An activist in Jordan said there were now 4,000 families, mostly from Homs, near the border at Jaber, many sleeping in the open.

The authorities were allowing only those over 60 to cross, unless bribes were paid, and no children, the activist said.