Spatara, a qualified electrician who earns £200 a month, said: “I want to go to England because I hear it has some of the highest salaries in the EU. I am sick of being paid peanuts.

“I have no intention of staying in the UK for ever, for five years at the most. I just want to save some money and return to my family.”

Spatara is among the many Romanians and Bulgarians enthused by the prospect of Britain opening its doors to them when their countries join the EU, probably in January. They have been inspired by the mass migration of Poles to the UK when their country joined the EU in 2004.

However, it emerged yesterday that the ambitions of Spatara and others may be thwarted. John Reid, the home secretary, is said to be lobbying for possible restrictions on arrivals from the two countries seeking work.

His rethink follows internal estimates by the government that 60,000-140,000 Romanians and Bulgarians could arrive in Britain in the first year after accession. A leaked government report warned last month of the increasing strain on schools, housing and the National Health Service.

Reid’s move comes after one of the most significant changes in immigration policy since Labour came to power. After years of the government insisting that immigration was an unqualified good for the economy and there was “no obvious limit” to the numbers the country could hold, Reid suddenly announced last week that it was time for the country to discuss possible quotas.

This has delighted the government’s critics. They say previous attempts to encourage a “mature debate” about immigration levels have often been quashed with accusations of racism.

Bob Rowthorn, professor of economics at Cambridge University, said: “Most people coming into the country have a good reason: they’re either running from somewhere or they want a job. You can’t but be sympathetic and it’s a natural reaction to think ‘let’s let them all in’. The difficulty is that there is such a gigantic supply that it’s not a practical policy. The government has, however, been in denial that there is any need for a debate.”

Michael Howard, the former Conservative leader, was left bruised in last year’s election campaign election when he raised the issue. Charles Clarke, then home secretary, accused the Tories of trying to “mobilise prejudice and bigotry”.

More than a year later, with constituents in some of Labour’s heartlands complaining that their wages are being undercut and local services are under strain, Labour is suddenly starting to discuss immigration.

There is opposition in the government to Reid’s proposal to consider denying Romanians and Bulgarians full rights to work in the EU. The Foreign Office and Geoff Hoon, the Europe minister, are said to oppose any ban.

Frank Field, the Labour MP who has campaigned for stricter immigration controls, said: “We can’t continue with an open-door policy. People are starting to complain they can’t find jobs.”

The expansion of the workforce from immigrants since May 2004, when 10 nations joined the EU, is reflected in the increase in registrations of National Insurance. Newly released figures show 662,390 foreign nationals registered to work in Britain in 2005-06, compared with 439,730 in 2004-05 and 370,750 in 2003-04.

The figures also give a breakdown of numbers by council area. The number of foreign workers registering to work in Newcastle upon Tyne rose from 1,960 in 2003-04 to 3,920 in 2005-06, in Southampton from 2,040 to 4,610, in Plymouth from 730 to 1,660 and in Hull from 1,310 to 3,180.

John Denham, MP for Southampton Itchen and a former Home Office minister, said: “The Poles have established a reputation as nice, hardworking people but there is certainly an undercurrent of concern.”

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