I TAKE issue with the claims by Peter Yates, Secretary of Worcester Amnesty International.

According to figures that now litter the national press, less than 10 per cent of those claiming asylum here are actually removed. There are now a million people living in our nation that have no legal right to live here.

According to Press reports "... in the latest Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill it (is) proposed to issue 175,000 work permits annually. This is on top of 130,000 asylum applications every year."

And that does not include the unknown numbers of people illegally coming here to live each year. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that if family members are included, more than half a million people migrate here annually.

Limitless millions would dearly love to come here, and live in our tolerant country, but we are an overcrowded island.

We do not have limitless supplies of land with which to grow our nation's food, build houses, or accommodate the infrastructure, and create jobs, for the limitless millions wanting to come here.

The mood of the people is "enough is enough." Immigration is no longer an issue that can be papered over, or silenced.

People now know that it is immigration that is driving up house prices, and causing the endless demand for more new housing and roads.

We have a choice. We can either concrete over our entire nation to accommodate some of the millions that want to live here, or we can preserve the quality of life of those already here.

We cannot do both. It's time the politicians had the guts to recognise that fact instead of ducking the issue.

N TAYLOR, Worcester.