I’M SURE the figures quoted by Mr TK Tew are correct with regard to the numbers of immigrants working and contributing to our economy.

The one major issue he has not mentioned is the people arriving in our country without a job who are entitled to all of our benefits. So, having paid in nothing they can use our NHS, which is creaking at the seams, our education system, also struggling, affordable housing.

I am pro-immigration but against free uncontrolled movement of people coming to the UK.

The point I have been trying to make is this, yes, I do want to pick and choose who we allow in, they must have a job before they arrive.

Last year, ending in September, we had 268,000 migrants from the EU, we also let 257,000 non-EU migrants into our country – how many of those had a job to come to, how many have any skills to get employment? This cannot carry on.

Too many people coming into our country drives down wages and conditions for the work force here. To quote from the Bank of England, Dec 2015.

Economists at the BOE found that increases in immigration have reduced the pay on offer to care workers, waiting staff and cleaners as the competition for these jobs has risen.

The bank calculated that a 10% point rise in proportion of immigrants would reduce the average pay received in these semi and unskilled service sector roles by 1.9%.

Even Merkel is now saying the numbers arriving are too many and getting out of hand as are more EU countries saying the same. Of course this opens another debate as the whether the people moving from country to country are refugees, immigrants or economic migrants. The EU has not, and still can not control the movement of these people.

TK Tew is of course correct in saying that borders are man made, unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about that.

These are the reasons why free movement is not working and needs to be replaced with an immigration policy with controls of who and how many we allow in.

John Robertson

West Wellow