A HAMPSHIRE Euro MP has called for tighter rules on immigration from other European countries.
It comes as the Daily Echo revealed that Southampton is now home to more than 20,000 Poles, mostly economic migrants.
Nigel Farage said Britain must not be among a handful of European Union states which "goes it alone" and allows unrestricted access to its jobs.
When ten former eastern bloc countries, including Poland, joined the EU in May 2004, Britain agreed to allow workers to come without restrictions.
Mr Farage, leader of the UKIP group of MEPs, pointed to a report by the lobby group Migrationwatch which predicted as many as 300,000 workers could arrive from Romanian and Bulgarian when they join the EU.
He said many were likely to head for Hampshire and the south-east, which is struggling to meet the most basic needs of its existing population.
"It already lacks the infrastructure to maintain basic amenities such as water, schools, housing and health care for its existing population so how on earth is it going to cope with an influx of possibly thousands of people from these central European countries?" he said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article