Sir - What a pleasant surprise to have GB Dipper actually responding (Letters, 17.4.'14) to a letter which cuts across his rigidly fixed position.

I've been waiting to be accused of being a "lover" of "open-door policy" and of having "sympathetic views" on immigration. The truth is that I am a complete agnostic. However, I am passionate about basing social, economic and political discourse on factual evidence (rather than wild, rabble-rousing imaginings which, I acknowledge, generate powerful negative feelings).

The number of Romanians and Bulgarians who came here since New Year has been vanishingly small, yet Mr. Dipper had warned us of being swamped; and UKIP actually put out a leaflet claiming that 29 million would arrive. This is more than every man, woman and child in those two countries! This must affect how we view their future predictions.

It has been shown authoritatively, over and again, that immigrants pay more into our economy than they take out; indeed, more pronouncedly so than the indigenous population. In addition, it's not immigrants who are driving down wages and conditions, but globalised business with no loyalty to anyone but the super-rich and shareholders.

David Barlow

Worcester