WHILE immigration has proved to be a good thing in some respects (the NHS would probably collapse without the foreign doctors and nurses we have now) there is another side to it which is worrying to say the least.

Latest figures released by the Office of National Statistics show that our population has increased by 4.6 million since 2001 and that immigration is responsible for 84 per cent of the surge in increase this century.

What is not taken into account in the figures is the 1.3 million children born to those immigrants after they arrived here putting an almighty strain on both schools, social services and hospitals etc.

Because of the better living conditions in this country, they tend to have more children than they did in their own countries.

Migration Watch has also announced that in 25 years time, any population increase will be entirely due to net migration.

I wonder if these facts will be the same for any other EU country?

Joan McTigue, Independent councillor, Middlesbrough.