WHEN you think of Greece, the image that comes to mind is that of beaches, white buildings and clear blue seas.

In fact, as a tourist visiting Thessaloniki and Athens, you would be forgiven for not realising the huge humanitarian crisis in the area.

There are currently 60,000 refugees crammed into camps on the mainland and islands and with recent rules passed meaning they have to stay in the first European country they come to, they have nowhere to go.

One such refugee camp is in Serres, close to the Greek-Bulgarian border.

The refugee camp is unlike others across Europe as it only made up of Yazidi people.

The Yazidis are indigenous to northern Iraq and have their own religion and customs separate to the rest of the country.

This has caused them to be persecuted by the so called Islamic State and they have fled in fear of their lives.

Many families have become separated and are unable to be reunited as they have found themselves in different countries and many have also witnessed friends and family members being killed or kidnapped by the so called Islamic State, who want to force the Yazidis to conform to the Muslim faith.

There are currently 670 Yazidis in the Serres camp, which is located just outside of the city.

Here, the refugees are given accommodation, £30 per week to live on, access to school for children and healthcare.

Charity Lifting Hands International has set up close by, offering a range of lessons including English and German.

Members of the camp are welcome to attend the lessons of their choice and those who were at university when they were forced to flee can also get help with their university work.

Despite the hardships they have gone through, the Yazidi people are so welcoming and positive.

One teenage girl says that her and her father had to leave another camp and head to the relative safety of Serres due to fights which left four Muslims dead at another camp, with other Muslims then calling for revenge attacks on the Christians.

Terrified they might get caught up in the escalating violence, they were forced to leave.

Although the existence in Serres under the Greek blue skies and support from the Government might seem idyllic, the Yazidis are far from content.

The capacity of the camp is 450, but after recent fights at other camps more Yazidis are making their way to Serres meaning they are badly over crowded with 16 people in caravans only supposed to accommodate eight.

They are given just £30 a week to buy everything they need, and most importantly to them, they are not allowed to work.

Another refugee, a man in his early 20s, says he is desperate to work - not only to support his family but also to give him something to do. Many of the fights and unrest at other camps is simply due to boredom.

The man says he used to be a driver in Iraq, but would be happy with any employment offered to him in Greece.

Other refugees are doctors, nurses and teachers.

Of course it is not as easy to just let them work in Greece, as this could breed resentment from Greek people who would see them taking jobs away from Greek people and in some ways that reaction would be understandable.

What is abundantly clear is Greece and other countries where refugees have ended up cannot continue as they are. More refugees are arriving daily.