Britain: Most crowded nation in Europe; immigration the culprit

London, Jan 2 (UNI) Blame it on immigration, Britain is poised to become the most crowded country in Europe.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of people crammed into each square mile was due to overtake levels in Holland and Belgium, and may already have done so.

They show that in Britain in 2006, there were as many as 390 people for every square kilometre, as opposed to 387 in 2005.

At that rate, it will now have overtaken the most crowded major country in Europe, Holland, which had 393 people for every square kilometre in 2005 and its population is growing at a much slower rate than Britain, the Daily Mail reported.

Around 70 per cent of population growth in Britain is a result of immigration, and much of the rest is accounted for by higher birthrates among recent immigrants.

Large-scale immigration is also increasing pressure on services, such as public transport.

Tory MP James Clappison said, ''Immigration is a substantial factor leading to greater population density. This is more evidence of the impact of immigration, and if present patterns of migration continue we are going to get much more crowded. There will be a big impact on quality of life.'' UNI XC SKB