'Alarmist predictions' over immigrants can cause racism

"Inflammatory rhetoric" about an influx of Eastern European immigrants are putting Romanians in the UK at risk of racist attacks, the country's ambassador to London has warned.

In a column published online by the Daily Telegraph, Dr Ion Jinga, who has lived in Britain for five years, dismissed the projected figures, adding that he "highly doubts" there will be any significant increase in the number of Romanians coming to the UK from January.

Temporary curbs were imposed on Romanians and Bulgarians in 2005 ahead of both countries joining the EU in 2007, to protect the British labour market.But the restrictions expire at the end of the year and cannot be extended.

Dr Jinga said: "Emotional approaches to this issue are counterproductive.

"They do not benefit the British public and they do not benefit the Romanian community in the UK either, as there is an increasing sense among the Romanians here that they are being discriminated and treated as second-class EU citizens."