OFFICIAL figures show more than 8,000 eastern and central Europeans arrive in Britain every day, taking advantage of freedom of movement within the EU.

Officials are not permitted under EU law to interrogate entrants from the EU as to their intentions on entering this country, nor quiz them about their activities or plans should they leave. That is discrimination on grounds of nationality and, thus, contrary to EU law.

Immigration channels are set up to include British nationals and "EU citizens", so EU member state passport holders can sail through on the same basis as a British national.

All officials can do is stand aside and watch. EU rules state the UK is obliged to permit entry to recent immigrants from third world countries, who have entered via member states and acquired residential status.

Whatever one's views about the benefits of mass migration, the fact the Government has no idea of the scale of migrants taking up work, and no legal means of acquiring such information, means controlling mass immigration is not possible.

As long as we buy into the EU and its core policies of "freedom of movement" and "freedom of establishment", we do not have a policy other than "let most of them come and go as they please".

Peter Troy, Sedgefield, Co Durham.