THE changing face of rural Worcestershire can be seen in the fields throughout the county with more immigrant workers than ever harvesting crops.

Bus loads of workers, many from the Indian sub continent, can be seen making the journey down the M5 very early each morning as those wishing to make a life in 21st Century Britain do jobs that the indigenous people of Worcestershire don't want to do anymore.

Andrew Richards, senior food and farming adviser for the National Farmers' Union Midlands, said foreign workers on the land is a trend that is increasing.

He said: "The English people generally just don't want to get their hands dirty anymore. Gone are the days when local students do this kind of work. They would rather earn money elsewhere where they can be warm and dry. As society has changed, so has expectations."

Mr Richards added that workers such as these ones pictured picking onions in Ombersley provided a lifeline and are a valuable asset to society.

"They are very hard- working people and can make a good living through piece work," he said. Although the ethnic population across Worc-estershire and Hereford-shire is low, many of the workers live less than an hour away from their work.

"Many of them live in the West Midlands conurbation and come in from places like Birmingham and Wolverhampton. They are skilled at what they do." He added that all the foreign workers were legal immigrants and landowners were responsible for checking passports.

"These workers are from reputable gang masters in the Midlands and all the labour is registered."

Gary Kibblewhite, vice-chairman of Worcester-shire Racial Equality Council, said: "It was a colourful site to see them in their traditional garments and it reminded me of being a youngster when the whole village went picking crops."