Are you people completely round the bend? What race are the Lithuanians and why is it racist to say that thousands of them are living in garden sheds and committing crimes? We have some of the same problems with Russians, but we call a crook a crook and put his ass in jail, here in provincial America. In addition to not providing "full social services" , this attenuates the problems of quarrelsome immigrants.
I had the pleasure of living for two years in the fens at RAF Feltwell. Wonderful people (no Lithuanians), outstanding fruits, vegetables and pork. High teas in Ely after the roller-coaster ride on the Southery road. Loved the cathedral; never tired of the history of the fens.
Maybe the troops who left Basra could be based at Ely and provide the kind of defense of the land that was put up after William's invasion.

Don S., Missoula,

It's just one of many articles about "bad ex-soviet countries immigrants". First of all, dear britons, stop generalizing whole continent - there's more than 20 different and unique countries. Stop calling us ex-soviets. It's almost 20 years we're out of the communism block - how long you're going to keep reminding us about the unpleasant past ? At the same time, it's only our first pentad in the European Union. Gap between old EU countries and the new ones in terms of living standards is very significant. Since we're in the same economic area - people from the weaker regions are tending to working in more developed countries - that's the principle of the market economy after all. However, it was the same with Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Greece and many other countries when they joined the EU. After few decades these countries are destination for economical immigrants itself!
To sum up, situation in Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia and other new EU member-states is improving very fast.

Regimantas Urbanas, Vilnius, Lithuania

Apparently there's a big concern in Britain about the wild Eastern Europeans (and I am one of them, not wild though). Yes, many of the problems are true, but you need to understand that the majority of the immigrants are low skilled, uneducated and their living conditions in Lithuania, for instance, esp in rural areas, were like in the Middle ages. Some of them didn't even have running water. So you can't expect them to be nice with neighbours( they don't know even proper Lithuanian), or be quiet at night, etc. Their social skills are very poor because they lost most of them during the last 17 years of independence living in poverty. But there is the other side of the story - modern Lithuanians, driving Mercedes, living in luxury houses, wearing designer clothes. and there are educated people fluent in 5 languages and with Phd's, but there is not so many of the in Britain and simply they don't get noticed. I worked in the UK myself and people were happy with me and my job.

Ruta, Vilnius, Lithuania

I'm an immigrant, a British one at that. I moved my family and myself to Australia last year. We have been warmly welcomed, have integrated into the community, have accepted Australian culture and uphold it, we didn't move to an "English" enclave, we don't try and force our "Britishness" on the locals, we contribute to the community, pay our taxes and obey the laws - not try and change them.

Its a shame that the increasing amount of immigrants flooding into the UK do not seem to hold these same values when arriving there.

Australia has its racial problems, its no racial 'nirvana' by any strech, but there is a pride within the population that actively promotes what it is to be and live in Australia (Immigration is far more controlled!)

Alas the UK has no one defending what it is to be British,

We flew the UK, as have thousands of other Brits, leaving a country that has serious questions to ask itself over its future.

Farewell England, land of my childhood, gone but not forgotten

Paul, Sydney, Australia

Multiculturism entails respecting the differences of others - and their right to pursue their own cultural norms. It does not require those same others to respect our culture or our norms. It is a one-way street and that is why it is so misconceived.

Porr Britain - an island of moaners who are all still waiting for someone else - aka Westminster - to put things right. It'll be a long, long wait.

david fisher, Boston, USA

There's only one reason that the immigrants make "good workers" or have "saved the fruit and vegetable industry" and that is that they work for less than local workers who I assume don't live 15 to a semi or are in some cases, paid less than the minimum wage. It is good that these issues are now being aired without lefty lovies screaming "Racist or Fascist ". Multiculturism has failed British people.

David Perry, Wigan,

God help us all! Ev ery time we visited Britian we noticed the differences. The growing affluence in Ireland. The bitterness growing in the average Pom. The surrender of the lakes district to the muslims. The property rises in London increasing the smugness of the few. We don't visit anymore - it's all too sad. I still hope in my heart that it is not too late. Britian is still one of the most beautiful countries in the world. If only it would wake up to the fact that what they are doing is not working in a whole range of areas. Thank God I was born in Australia! (Aren't we patronising? Hee! Hee!Only kidding.)

Peter, Brisbane, Australia

And in all of this article and associated comments, not one word about the "unemployed" of pre-influx Britain , many of whom are still accepting handouts from my tax bill while the available jobs are snapped up by East Europeans, and all this on a day when it was announced that profiteering supermarkets and suppliers conspired to hike prices of farm (albeit dairy) goods at the expense of the farmers.
Salvery is illegal. Paying a decent wage would have meant that there were no jobs to cause the influx. Stopping excessive profiteering by big business would stop this.
After ten years of rule by a party that is opposed to profiteering and in favour of central control, could there be any more damning indictment of their lack of respect for the electorate.
Get out of office!

KR, Stockport,

I originally come from a small town deep in the heart of the Fens, main industry agriculture - daffodil cropping, potato picking and the like. In this town of 20,000 people the police station opens 9-3, most nights (except Friday and Saturday) there is one patrol car. The population is now verging on 25,000 because of immigration but the police force has not increased. I fully agree with the Chief of Cambridgeshire police when she says that something needs to be done, and well done to her for sticking her neck out. I have no problem with immigration (often migrant workers seem to work harder than Brits), I feel sorry for the workers who are brought over here by agencies and then forced to work a shift in a factory followed straight on by a shift in another factory - often they're working 16 hours a day and living in appalling conditions. I just wonder what on life is like in Poland if coming here and working for below minimum wage (the gangs take a large cut) is better than that

Jemma, London,

Does no one in government have any idea about the optimum population for this country? The world faces energy, resource and food shortages in the not too distant future. The UK is exceptionally vulnerable to the inevitable changes. We are likely to find that we have an unsustainably high population. Is anyone in government planning for a stable population (or even a reduced one) that will be necessary in the future? No, I thought not.

Dave, Wrexham,

And what will the fools in government tell us?

Answer: 'Multiculturalism is a wonderful thing which we all should embrace and immigration is good for the economy'.

They should go onto the streets and ask the people just what they think of the open door policy of the last ten years which nobody voted for . No wonder the BNP is gaining so many new members.

d case, newquay,

Only the BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY intends to stop this invasion of 'immigrants'.

Not one of the other political parties is even willing to make sensible reductions in incomers or deport the illegal entrants (criminals!).

If you love Britain and the British Way of Life, then you need to VOTE FOR THE BNP.

For more information, so you can decide for yourself, try this website:- www.bnp.org

Kate the Discerning Voter, Salford, England the Brave!

Every time a argument like this is mentioned people keep harping on that these people are contriubuting to the economy, so what!! There is an even bigger point that people seem to forget, the dillution of the British identity and culture, this means a hell of a lot more than migrant workers adding a few extra coins into the governments pockets, this is about losing a country, think about the long term picture!!

M Jones, Staffordshire, UK

Why do people keep focusing on eastern european migrants, there has been a huge influx of migrants from iraq, Iran, Somalia and other african countries, pakistan, india etc, the list is endless, along with the eastern europeans this country has seen a huge influx of migrants full stop!!!

M Jones, Staffordshire, UK

Labour lost control of the borders years ago.

Their incentive for allowing the massive influx to continue is simply to keep down the wages of the working classes and thus keep a lid on inflation.

Kevin Smith, London, England

This comes from basing an immigration policy on nothing more than pious platitudes. No public discussion, no national consensus, no planning.

Its not the Poles and Lithuanians on the High St that irritate me - its the fashionable left and their belief that these difficulties can be waved away with a group hug and an ethnic dance hall.

The reality on the ground - in the council estates and shopping malls - is very very different. The grotesque incompetence of the Govt on this issue will be its one true and lasting legacy to the country.

H, London,

Laraine Jones, Sydney, Australia, you do not live here and therefore have no idea of the level of immigration that has taken place in the last decade. The fact is until 1997 annual migration to the UK was, for the most part, steady at around 40,000 per annum, but since 1998 it has increased by an order of 8 to 10 times to between 320,000 and 570,000 per annum. It means that over the last decade, according to ONS figures, 5 to 6 million immigrants, that is legal immigrants because we have no idea how many illegal immigrants have arrived in the same time frame, arrived in the UK and that is what has led to unacceptable levels of pressure on public services in health, housing education and social services. The indigenous population has said, time and again that immigration must be controlled to avoid, or at least reduce, the level of immigration that is leading to interaction and bad feeling. It is not a case of moving on but telling immigrants to integrate or move on.

Kenneth Armitage, Suffolk, England

Immigrants may be of short term benefit to employers who only pay the bare minimum wage but one has to think of the bigger picture - is Britain really benefiting? Are the levels of tax and National Insurance revenues gained sufficient to warrent the label of "huge benefit to the country", of-course after allowing for the extra costs involved such as policing and housing? And is the money earned staying in the UK to boost its economy? These are the real questions - which no politician will give an honest answer to - not the bottom line health of a local fruit picker.

B Redfern, Krsko, Slovenia

Time to end the "liberal immigration policy" was years ago. As it is, England has been totally shafted by the present excuse for a Government. I am so sick and tired of this - why would any sane person vote Labour these days????

Richard, Worcester, England

Having strawberries picked or cockles harvested is not to my mind a great necessity. Once we had pick your own and as for cockles how many of us know people who eat such molluscs? The profile of immigration necessity has changed over time and depending on which argument is refuted another, equally bogus, is raised. Dirty jobs, paying our pensions, farm work, catering and servants for the home does not amount to a hill of beans. Even the professions reliance on foreigners is nothing short of ludicrous. During the period that nurses were being put through higher education courses nurses from South Africa were employed, when the nurses finished their courses their were no jobs; when a group of doctors were found to have terrorist connections. This raised the spectre of certain immigrants never to be trusted in jobs where security and public safety were issues. We have become a country where the indigenous population are mere enablers for the aspirations of others.

Malcolm Turner, Alsager, England

A local sales tax (replacing VAT) would give Councils more flexible funding

DR ANDREW JOHN KITCHING, Reading,

"..the economic benefits of growth are clear" says the Chief Constable but has she taken into account remittances sent home by the immigrants, increased NHS costs, strains put on infrastructure etc etc ?

Thought not...!

Dave Jones, Wrexham, Wales

It's completely irresponsible that the government makes no financial, political or social preparation to receive large numbers of migrants. The host community suffers; so do the people coming in. A friend of mine who works in local government commented recently that her service has to try (among many other tasks) to get the local community, including huge numbers of immigrants from all over the world, to recycle. 'We're asking people to sort their rubbish in different, complex ways' she said 'but half the time they've come from countries and cultures which don't even have a basic idea of civil society.' It illustrates the huge problem of trying to integrate masses of people across continents and cultures, with no notice and no preparation.

cath, london, uk

We are losing our country and identity due to mass immigration , simple as that.

Craig, London, England

The irony of all this is that most of the East Europeans like me, are law abiding citizens, they pay their hefty taxes, and they are much more conservative then say Cameron. And of course they hate PC, because it is noting more then old good fashioned comunist censura :-)

We have been for many years and basically that is why we come here - unfortunately it seems to me that now you are going there.

Peter, London, UK

That's the wonderful thing about having democracy and freedom and I'm so glad that I don't live in a democratic state.

Janine, malaysia, malaysia

B Grant highlights the correct evidence, but sadly draws the wrong conclusions.

Cambridgeshire police will record such details (as will every other constabulary and police force). However, the ONS will not collate these for the UK because there is no standardised national methodology.

This situation suits the Government, which is able to bury its head in the sand and absolve itself (through ignorance of its own making) of any responsibilities.

Classic New Labour in action !

James MacDonald, Sydney, Australia

Ref B Grant comment:-

She, (Chief Constable), had to say that little piece to protect her collar from being felt for "racsit utterences".

Concerning immigration statistics, it's true that nobody knows. U.K. counts them in but doesn't count them out.

20,000,000 (in) - ?????? (out) = ? (balance).

A bit like a Northern Rock balance sheet!

G. Jones, Turkmenbashi,

Terrorism, honour killings, ethnic gang/gun culture, female circumcision, huge illegal bushmeat trade, Yardies, foreign diseases and ethnic-specific health problems, African aids victims, race riots, voodoo child sacrifices, Islamic anti-Semitism...oh, I'm out of breath. Haven't these problems cost the British tax payer a few bob over the past 50 years?

In PC Britain there are easy targets (Christianity, white immigrants, Bernard Manning) and taboo targets (Islam, non-white immigrants, The South African Government).

I think we all now know exactly what it must have been like to live in Nazi Germany or The Soviet Union as to permissible and non-permissible topics of conversation.

Lawrence, Liverpool, England

Does the term "cultural suicide" make any alarms go off?????-

Bruce Northwood, Washington, D.C. , USA

All this is a result of the 'airhead politics' (my own term) of Blair and New Labour agenda

Ted Farley , Manchester, England

It is interesting to hear the complaints about legal immigration.Firstly,there are hundreds of thousands of britons living in other EU countries,many making mayhem along the way.(RECIPROCITY)But At the root of the problem lies the fact,that not enough children by far are born in Britain.The result of total emancipation of women.And now there simply aren't enough young workers to do the job.Tough luck. Either British women start being women again and produce sustainable amount of children,or immigrants become inevitable to keep the economy afloat.You can't have it both ways!
marcap@centrum.sk

martin capka, prague, czech republic

well we have know this for a bit going on two years now.? i live near Filey north yorkshire . two years ago some damage to my motor so police came round got talking and he said all eastern block countrys that came to hull all carry knives and we have been told to nothing about it,

bernie, filey, yorkshire

Perhaps all governments are incompetent when it comes to letting in immigrants from non-First World countries. Here in Canada we have a large ethnic group that believes in "Honour" killings, where a husband doesn't have to have proof that his wife is unfaithful, he just has to think it! We have had some terrible murders by arrogant immigrants who believe women are chattels who can be beaten or murdered whenever the husband thinks fit. We also have a crazy American religious import called Bountiful, where a "Prophet" and male elders rule 1,400 people who are forced to obey their commands (or their souls will burn in Hell!). They practice polygamy, which is illegal here, and underage girls are taken out of school and forced to be concubines in the harems of dirty old men. This is rape. Winston Blackmore, aged 60, has 26 concubines and 115 children, and the government is frightened to charge him because he claims it's his RELIGION!!! Save me from religious nuts and cowardly governments.

Jancis M. Andrews, Sechelt, , Canada

As one of recent Czech immigrants to the UK, let me thank my new colleagues and neighbours for friendly and supportive welcome. I came for a range of reasons, better pay being just one of them - purely in monetary terms, as a cardiologist, I would be far better off in Saudi Arabia. Czechs and Slovaks that I met here, in North West, are hard working people who are usually eager to assimilate, pay hefty 40% income tax and are well respected by their communities. The article is certainly biased: a Friday night flight to Prague would give you similarly skewed impression of English behaviour.

Petr, NW,

Sorry, over 2 million Britons living in other EU countries. Kettle to Pot. Hypocrites! You wanted a common market - you got it - either put up or shut up. Learn a language and adapt. And how dare you use the term "Eastern Europeans", when you are clearly demonstrating your ignorance of the diversity of this area, and the great minds and leaders that originated in that part of the continent. Maybe we should repatriate the Brits living abroad in Australia, France, Spain, Germany, US, Middle East.

Jon Kingsbury, Southampton, UK

It has to be said , thank God for a woman, & a woman with common sense, guts, & honesty.
Paxman asked the inevitable question,' don't you think this is racist ' ? quite rightly the chief inspector said , ' no , this is the way it is.
I wouldn't mind betting she was warned about possible repercussions, but she went ahead anyway.
I can only hope she has opened the door to others that have thus far , not had the courage to speak out.
Not only is it impossible to do a job on such a scale without the full man power, it should have been planned & catered for.
The government has no policy on immigration, other than the Politically Correct one, demanded by the wretched EU.
The more negative stories that now come out the better & hopefully, will hasten our departure from this extravagant, cash sucking, egotistic Hydra.

Maggie Millington, Brittany , France

I believe that things are never as simple as they appear, there are some powerful lobby groups out there that promote the agenda of businesses such as the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) these groups have successfully argued that we need more workers, to the politicians that matter and in return politicians are given, well.... you know campaign contributions / party contributions. Businesses just want workers that are cheap, the minimum wage is ignored.

UK business, doesn't care about workers that just want a bit of respect and begrudges paying the extortionate rate of a £5.35+ per hr.
The attitude of business is, to hell with our communities, as long they are still making money. Try asking labourers, cleaners, restaurant staff, how easy it is to get the minimum wage? The working classes have been betrayed by a Labour government that should hang its head in shame. Workers are disillusioned so many people are emigrating, they feel like there's no other option!

Graham Wharton, St. Albans, Herts, uk

Just wait, soon we'll be printing the driving exams, adverts, street signs in several different languages to accomodate the non English speakers living in the country. Perhaps that is already happening. Look at California/Southwestern US as an example of what can happen when you have issues over legal and illegal immigration. People want to live in the country but they don't want to be British/American/French/pick a nationality. They come with their customs and language, and they live as if they were still in their mother country without having any respect for their new found country. Not everyone but many do. Immigration is great if it is part of a solution but so often, as statistics show, it ends up being a huge problem for the small communities where the immigrants land. There seems to be no good answer on how to address the problem so just let them keep coming and see what happens? Seems a bit like Russian roulette - no pun intended.

Bobbie Crum, London,

It really is a sad state of affairs that , many years after the publication of the McPherson report, there are still so many police forces that cannot (will not ?) cope with a diverse community.

If the Managers have not got the ability to map their policing requirements on to the make up of their community then they should resign and let people with the necessary vision take over. It is called management !!

David Dee, Canterbury, kent

As a Canadian I find it astounding that the English, an ancient and (relatively) homogeneous culture, seem to have adopted a policy of multiculturalism just in the past few years. During a recent visit, it shocked me to see what I considered to be extreme ethnic diversity in most of the larger centres, and the consequent social tensions which could be clearly sensed. Is this what the British people really want? I suppose there are many reflexive liberals who defend these changes and charge those who demur with the new epithet of 'intolerant.' But the way I see it, the fact that England is allowing this to happen seems to reflect some lack of pride and respect for its own indigenous culture. Why is Britain committing cultural suicide?

Lindsay George Gray, Owen Sound, Canada

During the last 6 years coaches have arrived here from Eastern Europe every few minutes and brought literally millions of mostly Poles and people from the Baltic countries.

As ever the British simply have to put up with it! Here in the East of England its now ever more common to feel like a foreigner in our own country. Q: When was the last time Britishness was respected by anyone here anyway? You can now pick up a UK passport in literally 3-4 years of being here, with no connection to the UK and practically not even English language skills. It strikes at the heart, what does it even mean anymore to be British?

Yes, Britain needs young people to fill unskilled jobs and contribute to pension funding, but this open door policy leaves many British people feeling increasingly alienated and threatened in their own communities. There is no doubt that these immigrants work hard but they also bring violent and socially backward ways with them. Not true? try visiting most of Eastern Europe

J.Redfield, Cambridge, Cambridgshire

Thank God, France is a mere 23 miles from England in order to gain sanctuary from this over populated and over policed Nation. Most immigrants don't speak French and they are not welcome in France in any event. Immigration on this scale has all been a ghastly experiment by ignorant Do-gooders and Politicians.

David Smith, Cannes, France

Might this be an opportune time to register my concern that as "immigrants" graduate into jobs in government ministries, banks, utilities and the infrastructure, some of them bring with them the customs and practice of their country of origin.

In many of the countries from which immigrants migrate one seeks power or promotion because with them comes - the bribe - which is regarded as a natural perk and not as something untoward.

That is not to say that all english born men and women are above corruption, I am simply reporting that which I, and anyone who has lived in Asia, Africa of the Gulf will know, that bribery goes with the terrirtory and is a major incentive to seeking advancement.

Nor is it limited to senior positions with major powers to influence - many parking attandants, beat policemen, bank clerks and telephone engineers all expect a few bucks in order to get the job done.

We need robust systems to stop it happening here.

Michael Taylor, Delhi, India

The influx from Eastern Europe has certainly taken the spotlight off the continued mass immigration from Africa, The Indian sub-continent, the West Indies, the Middle East, etc. etc. Or have those sources of Britain's population exposion mysteriously ceased?

B.J. Carroll, Hong Kong, China

With our neighbour's two-up two-down on a quiet Cambridgeshire residential street having been sold to a property developer it was a bit of a shock to have three polish workers moved in on the afternoon of completion by the new owner.

Since then, only 2 months ago, we have lost count of the number of people who appear to live next door.

Our main concern as neighbours is mainly for their safety and the safety of the neighbourhood. The new neighbours speak little english, do not engage in conversation and come and go at all times of the day or night. They drink to excess (although I must say they are far better behaved when drunk than british people of the same age, by quite a long way) and frequently drive after having spent the evening drinking with the rest of the household and their friends who have also arrived/then left in cars.

The sheer numbers of immigrants arriving so suddenly is the problem and it does not look like slowing down.

Corry, Cambridge,

Everyone soft-pedals on immigration for fear of coming across like a founder member of the National Front or BNP. But tell it like it is; the Labour government has been given priority to far-left Socialist doctrine over practicality and common sense.
People occasionally say to me, "How can to criticise immigration (or immigrants) when you live in Japan?" I never had a problem with immigrants when in UK. It was the Brits I couldn't stand.
We all know some immigrants are more desirable than others. But actions speak louder thant words, and over the last 10 years the Labour government have lacked any semblance of an immigration policy. The mystery is how they can score so high in public opinion polls. That is the clinching reason why as an individual, you need to make emigration a high priority. The great mass of the British people are simply not worth fighting for. Certainly not worth getting a criminal record for.

Andrew Milner, Yokohama, Japan

I don't know why I bother- I don't even live in the UK any more, somewhere deep down I have an attachment I just can't seem to shake, but for crying out loud, this economic migration argument is utter, complete, farcical nonsense. Every time it's used, it is never followed through to completion. Farmers can't afford workers. Output is reduced. Demand rises. Prices rise. Native workers re-employed at higher wages. Goods sold. If a frost kills the crop does the price not rise? Idiots! Stop immigration. Gently redistribute wealth amongst the population and regions, restore pensions, heavily tax domestic second homes for those whose primary income is not property based and aggressively wage war against internal radical Islam. I'm not sure what I loath more; the current state of the UK or the apathetic population that's presided and encouraged it. How about less gassing, less whingeing, put your country first and get on with it. Take some damn pride in your country for once!

Richard, Europa, Europa

I read your article with a sense of alarm and sadness. Quite obviously not enough preparation and thought has been given to the influx of EU migrant workers now living in the UK. However, I am not in the least surprised that this situation is happening. People from poorer socio-economic regions will always try to improve their circumstances by moving to another country to find work, legally or illegally. This is happending in Australia, along with many other countries.
The population mix of the UK is changing, perhaps not for the better, but we have to remain hopeful that successful intergration will eventually happen. Respect for one another's cultural differences, patience and willingness to adapt are a big ask but it has to be the goal for everyone in order that positive change can take place.The quaintness and English characters in the' Vicar of Dibley' will be but a fading memory..more is the pity but it is called progress and the UK has to move on and accept the changes.

Laraine Jones, Sydney, Australia

Not only does the ONS not record immigrant numbers, but immigrations minister admitted on TV they do not collect statistics on how many crimes are committed by immigrants.

Yet at the same time the Cambridgeshire Chief Constable says of immigration that "..the economic benefits of growth are clear".

If they don't bother to count them, then how can they be so sure?

B Grant, Leicester,

Sorry, but the only hard figures provided - that the number of foreigners arrested for drink driving increased from 81 to 306 in the past few years - tells you nothing at all unless you also know how many more foreigners there are. Add more people and wherever they come from you'll have more law breakers. It might be that the number of foreigners has doubled and they're 4 times as likely to drink drive as the locals; it might be that its more than tripled and the incomers are actually less likely to offend.

As for complaints about immigrant knife crime...how many of the stabbings reported in recent months have involved eastern europeans, and how many kids born and bred in the UK?

DJD, London,

This from the same man who believes that the mega-rich should not bother about small details like paying their fair share of taxes!

Where are the extra funds supposed to come from, Ross Clarke: the cleaners who "do" for private equity bosses?!

Tom MacFarlane, Blackpool, UK