JOAN MCTIGUE (HAS, Nov 27) says that figures from Office for National Statistics show that immigration is responsible for 84 per cent of population growth.

This is incorrect. The figures show that 57 percent of population growth since 2001 was due to immigration, while the rest was due to "natural increase" - i.e. more births than deaths.

The research organisation/pressure group Migration Watch UK argues that if the children of immigrants are included, the figure is 84 percent This means including people like me and my dad.

I was born in England; but my mother was an immigrant from South Africa. My father was also born in England, but his mother was a French immigrant.

The children of immigrants are not immigrants. We are British citizens, born and bred.

Joan also says that the children of immigrants are putting an "almighty strain" on schools, hospitals, social services etc.

But these public services are paid for by taxpayers, and immigrants contribute proportionately more in taxes than British-born citizens.

Pete Winstanley, Durham.