TREVOR Phillips, head of the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights, has backed more open debate on immigration.

"Having a view on immigration does not make you a racist," he says. His statement coincides with new statistics revealing levels of immigration into Essex.

The figures will come as no surprise. They simply confirm what anybody who uses a supermarket, a bus, a care home, a restaurant or a hospital ward will already know: There has been a surge of immigrant workers from eastern EC countries, especially Poland.

Given the size and speed of this growth, the most remarkable aspect has been the lack of tension. For the most part, our immigrant population has integrated well into the community.

They don't place much extra burden on social services, housing or the police. Nor do they take employment away from locals - the jobs they do went unfilled before they arrived. Immigration has been a very positive thing for Essex.

So while welcoming Trevor Phillips's call to remove the taboo on discussing immigration, it's unlikely many people in Essex will take up his offer.

Any debate is likely to start when the Eastern Europeans go home and will revolve round a simple question - how do we cope without them?