Immigration has long been one of Britain’s most divisive topics – dominating much of the discussion in the lead-up to the general election and causing a number of senior politicians to butt heads. 

And when MailOnline took to the streets of the country’s biggest immigration hotspots, it was no different.

Analysis this week revealed up to one in 22 residents in parts of England and Wales are immigrants who came to the country last year.

This figure, collated by the Office for National Statistics, reflects people immigrating from outside of the UK.

Middlesbrough, Leicester, Coventry, Camden and Newhaven were the five areas which saw the biggest influx of international migrants in 2023 – heaping more pressure on housing, schools and the NHS.

But what is it like to live in these places? And what do the locals have to say on the issue? We went back out to these five locations to speak to residents about their views on immigration and the effect it has had on their communities.

Middlesbrough – home to roughly 150,000 people, according to official estimates – saw an influx of just shy of 6,800 international migrants in 2023.

The jump means that roughly 4.4% of the population in the Teesside town is accounted for by foreigners who made the move in 2023. 

But locals worry the rise is affecting young people’s ability to get on the housing ladder while the area becomes overcrowded.

Official Government figures revealed around 6,800 international migrants moved to Middlesbrough which has a total population of approximately 150,000.

Trainee welder Dom Barwick, 19, said: ‘In the last four or five years I have seen immigration numbers rise. I’d love to know why that increase has happened, but I don’t know.

‘It could be because places like Middlesbrough are so cheap. Even Newcastle, which is not far from here, is a lot more expensive.

‘But we can’t provide for our people such as our veterans. Then we see migrants from abroad coming into hotels.

‘I don’t think that’s fair. I doubt the Government are going to help though. I feel for them, but we have to provide for our own people first.

‘I don’t see that happening as much as it should. I don’t mind seeing more people and it make it more multi-cultural and that is a good thing to help the economy.

‘But this should be in the Government’s top three priorities to sort out.’

The town, known for its industrial routes, was the fifth most deprived area in England in 2019 according to national data.

Research in 2022 also revealed Middlesbrough, where terraced properties sold for an average of £90k last year, had a 41 per cent child poverty rate.

John Donaldson, 33, said: ‘The statistics don’t surprise me at all when you look at Middlesbrough. I live in Stockton nearby and there’s every nationality there.

‘There’s definitely been an increase in the last year or so. Middlesbrough itself is extremely cheap compared to everywhere else so that has to be a reason why the numbers are high.

‘People like me are trying to get into work but it’s hard to do that around here.

‘I don’t think the Government are going to be able to fix much. I don’t trust them to help places like this. The town is only going to get worse for it.’

Accountant Robert Ford lives in an area of terraced housing close to high numbers of migrants.

The 42-year-old said: ‘It’s not surprising at all. I have lived here for ten years and I see a high turnover in people renting the houses nearby.

‘Middlesbrough is seen as out of sight and out of mind and it’s an easy place to put people. It definitely gets ignored compared to some places in the country but it’s always been like that.

‘But it’s a hard issue to fix because you can’t just move people who have settled.

‘These people have already built their communities. I try and talk to my neighbours but you don’t see them often so it’s hard to.

‘The issue causes more friction for people on both sides of the argument. It’s very hard to buy a house but one of the reasons for that is because they’re all being bought by landlords.’

Some locals believed international migrants in Middlesbrough were treated differently to British residents. 

Andy, who decided not to give his surname, 38, said: ‘It wouldn’t be a problem if they treated everyone the same. At the moment they are putting immigrants into hotels and stuff and that is causing animosity.

‘There are British people on the streets and they are not going to put them in hotels. They will be put in a bedsit in the worst area of Middlesbrough.’

Sam Johnson, unemployed, 32,: ‘They call this area Little India. I’m not racist but the call it that because you go further up there and you don’t see white people. It’s mental.’  

Following their landslide election win, Labour immediately vowed to tackle the small boats crisis with its Border Security Command to counter trafficking gangs and people smugglers.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda was canned, however.

Labour has pledged to reform points-based immigration system and adopt workforce training plans for health, social care and construction to avoid the UK’s reliance on foreign labour.

Speaking on the Government’s plans to tackle immigration, Maxine McGill, 68, who is unemployed due to ill health, said: ‘My parents brought up four siblings and they got no help from anyone.

‘They have put asylum seekers in housing around here so it doesn’t surprise me the numbers are high.

‘I have seen the increase for myself. I don’t know why places in the south of the country don’t have higher numbers. I’d like the Government to stop so many people coming here.

‘Rishi Sunak had a plan for Rwanda but now Kier Starmer has stopped it. I don’t think his plan was a bad thing.

‘But it angers me when I see these people getting housing and free furniture when my parents got absolutely nothing.

‘The Government are helping the immigrants far more than they are helping the locals.’ 

In Coventry, the population has increased from 316,915 to 360,702 between 2011 and 2023, a rise of 12 per cent.

Last year the number of new migrants to the city made up a total of 4.31 per cent of the population, MailOnline’s calculations implied.

Music artist Clint Bruder, 47, said the area was a city of all different races and creeds.

The dad-of-two said: ‘It’s a rough city, don’t get me wrong. There are elements of poverty, a lot of drug use, a lot of homeless people.

‘But it’s one of the kindest places I’ve found, and I speak to everybody. From the bottom of the pile to the top of the steeple. From people on the street to the people higher on.

‘Yeah we have all sorts of problems here, we were the city of culture 2023 because we are all races and all creeds. Everybody tries to get on. We are the city of music, we are the city of buskers, we are the city of creating new art culture.

‘We’re a melting pot of different economical, social standings and we all are together. Coventry is like a mini picture of the world because there’s people from everywhere here.

‘It’s like this is what the world looks like when we’re all together. Not too bad.’

Sandra Sutton, 77, said Coventry had gone downhill in the last 10 years, with the city centre covered in rubbish.

The grandmother-of-three said: ‘There’s no benefits to living here. It has gone to rack and ruin. If you go around the council house was magnificent.

‘It’s got much, much worse. There’s so much litter. Litter, disrespect. People don’t know the history of the city and there’s so much history here.’

On the influx of immigrants, she added: ‘You have to take life as it comes. It’s frustrating. They get priority.

‘When your kids can’t get on the housing ladder. It’s annoying for me for how hard we work. We literally worked to get it.’

Avtar Shorker is a HGV driver whose parents moved to the UK from India.

The 54-year-old, who has lived in Coventry all of his life, said: ‘Where I am now, yeah it’s nice.

‘It’s gone downhill a bit. It used to be a buzzing place. I don’t even know when, it’s very rare that I come into town.

‘When you don’t go somewhere very often you can notice it more. There’s more student places. Shops are moving out of town, online hasn’t helped has it.

‘I’ve been looking after my mum for the last 25 years and the (NHS) waiting times haven’t got any better.

‘There can’t be much work because all the industry has shut down hasn’t it. The car firms. I don’t know what the attraction is here, is it the housing, more housing here.

‘It’s one of the better places in the Midlands, I know that. My parents came over in the 60s, legally.

‘What tended to happen back then is that if some of their family were here, that’s what would attract them. Don’t forget they came without English.’

Mohammad Ahmed, 64, moved to the city in search of work in 2007 from his home country of Sudan.

The father-of-14 said: ‘Yeah it’s a good city. I was born in Sudan. It was work that brought me here, but now I don’t work. Everything is very good. I’m alone. It’s a nice area. Nice people.’ 

Mother-of-two Debbie Fox, 39, who doesn’t work currently, said: ‘I’ve lived here all my life.

‘I think Coventry is a great place, it’s starting to get better. I do think the development, since it was the city of culture, it has got a lot, lot better.

‘The university is great, it’s brilliant. But the only thing that is problematic is the housing crisis. I get that people resent immigrants because they seem to be getting houses when we can’t. That sounds like me being racist but I’m not.

‘Everyone needs a home. We’re all the same. We’ve got one of the greatest universities, so for the young people to come over and learn it’s a brilliant place to learn. Hands down, Coventry university is brilliant.’

In Leicester, data suggests 3.6 per cent of the total population are immigrants who arrived in the area over the past financial year.

Father-of-one Craig – who didn’t want to give his surname – said he had struggled to get housing in the city and was currently in temporary accommodation. 

Craig, 41, said: ‘It’s a nice city for different reasons. It has changed a lot.

‘The changes, more properties are rental properties to students which they don’t have that many students to build accommodation for.’

On immigrants moving to Leicester, he added: ‘They know that Leicester accepts all the different religions.

‘Years ago they never used to accept different religions.

‘They’re accepted from any country. They know they can come over here, they work and they do what they’ve got to do.’

Market trader Glyn Wells said he felt that the city had lost some of it’s charm in last five years.

The 56-year-old dad-of-two said: ‘It’s not too bad but we’ve seen the crime rate increase over the last few years.

‘Lots of theft and a lot of homeless. Just generally a bad feel of times. My wife has said if you walk from the bus station to here she can’t see why anyone would want to do it again.

‘Less and less people come into the city. I think Covid had a bit of that and then obviously we had the Leicester lockdown which was the worst advert we could possibly get for Leicester. Since then it’s just not picked up.

‘A lot of people tell me they won’t go into Leicester anymore.

‘HMO’s are the main problem now. With the housing and multi-occupancy as well, you’ll get a young man move in, next thing he’s got a girlfriend and then he’s got a child.

‘I think some of the lads who have worked on the market say they’ve had brothers, they call them brothers whether they are or not, they’ve said they’ve had them go to places like Cardiff and Swansea but there’s no community there.

‘I think they stay for a certain amount of time. Once that times up they’ll come to Leicester where there’s a community for them. Where their own people are they want to be amongst them.

‘It can be good in a way apart from they do tend to congregate in an area and tend not to move from those areas. With the loss of M&S and shops like that, I do think it’s on the decline.’

Not everyone agreed with this assessment of the city. Adam Rear, 24, was a student at the University but now works as a train conductor.

He says the city has a strong multicultural presence which helps attract outsiders.

Adam said: ‘I like Leicester, it’s got everything you need, it’s got all the shops that you want. Being a Leicester City fan as well, it’s a very football-based scene, as well with the rugby. It’s a nice place to live.

‘I wouldn’t say it’s gone downhill, it’s changed a lot recently. It’s a lot busier in the city centre. There’s a lot more people walking around, more in the queues. Again, Leicester is still a nice place to live.

‘I would say it’s a multicultural city already. So, the people that have come into the area, they’re seeing it as very sort of a welcoming city to move to I would say.

‘I would say multiculturalism is good, it brings you all together, it means that everyone gets along and you meet all walks of life. It’s a good place to bring up your children so it’s mixed.’

Everlyn Gwata, 56, moved to the city from Zimbabwe in 2003 to study nursing.

The mum-of-two, who is now retired, said: ‘The city is a great city. It’s a very inclusive city, very multicultural.

‘It’s reasonable to live in Leicester to be honest. The house prices I think, are pretty good.

‘I came to Leicester from London in 2003, I did my nursing in London. I was looking for somewhere where it was cheap for me to live with my children.

‘This came up and it was the cheapest. I found a house and I’ve been here ever since.’

Over in Newham, which also cracked the top list, residents had varied opinions on the issue with many fearing the strain immigration puts on their schools, healthcare and housing. 

Alison Gil, 75, said: ‘It is what it is. People have to live somewhere don’t they.

‘The main problem is the strain on things, that’s what people don’t like.

‘It needs sorting by someone. Especially the health system and the schools. I wouldn’t have wanted to move here now. London isn’t like it used to be.

‘It doesn’t feel like London anymore. It is the people that come and take off us that I don’t like.’ 

The population in the area has increased by more than 14 per cent between 2011 and 2023, jumping from 310,460 to 362,552 over that period.

Simon Marshall, 56, said: ‘It is the top immigration hotspot in my mind.

‘It is getting worse and worse. I’ve got lots of friends who are born and bred in Britain who can’t get accommodation.

‘Immigration is taking over big time. The population is getting bigger and bigger, but jobs are very rare.

‘It is putting a strain on people’s mental health. People are getting tetchy, there is not a good atmosphere.

‘You get all these different coloured flags everywhere and people are getting angry.

‘It is causing trouble and there is a lot more crime now on the streets of this borough.

‘The last couple of years it has deteriorated. If they paid their dues and paid their taxes it would be fine but they don’t.’ 

James Clarke, 59, who has lived in Newham his whole life says that although he loves the range of cultures immigration has been getting out of hand.

He added: ‘It doesn’t surprise me at all, you can see it when you look around you.

‘Sometimes you think it is positive, being multicultural and multiracial is good. But when some groups don’t want to interact, and they just want to keep to themselves that can really put a block to trying to make friendships.

‘It is a good thing, but it can be destructive.

‘I have never seen so many people begging on the streets. I didn’t think this country allowed people to live like that.

‘It does deter people because you look at that and think filth. But they don’t want to live like that.

‘If you look at the schools they are packed solid. English people regardless of colour cant get into their preferred schools, they go to hospital and it is absolutely rammed.

‘There is just too many people for what we have got.’

Others however believed that immigration adds a variety of culture to their home town.

Alex Heming-Johnson, 41, who volunteers at a refugee centre said: ‘It is a cheaper area and I guess people who are not able to afford Kensington and Chelsea might live here.

‘I can buy whatever food I want from various shops. It is great in that aspect. I am a big fan of diversity as well.

‘It has always been quite diverse here. There is no dominant background so it is quite interesting.’

On the streets of Camden Town people expressed that they love living in such a multicultural part of England.

Data suggests that 3.48 per cent of the population have arrived from overseas in the past year. 

Or Schiff, 41, came to the UK from Israel and has been living in Camden for six years while working as a tour guide.

She said: ‘I love Camden. I specifically came to Camden because I knew that it had culture from all over the world.

‘You can’t experience this anywhere else. Camden is the most like Israel I think, so it felt like home.

‘It is amazing I love it. There is different food and culture everywhere.’

Gurmet Singh, 45, runs a stall in Camden market and has lived in the area for 20 years.

He said: ‘It is a very prestigious place with lots of heritage. People love to come over here. The vibe is very different.

‘London is very cosmopolitan and diverse so people want to come here. It has the best diversity in the whole world. It is quite colourful and vibrant.’

Former detective James Sparta says he believes diversity is a great thing and encourages more immigrants to move to the area.

The 58-year-old who comes from Greek heritage said: ‘It is good for anywhere. Even the word immigration is ridiculous, people are free to come and go anywhere.

‘With England’s history on people from afar it has the audacity to treat these people like statistics.

‘Most people who come to this country, not just to Camden, come here to work. They leave the bosom of their family to come here and work for crap money while suffering racism on top.

‘Who leaves the bosom of their country to come here and be a waitress and get all this racial abuse on top? There are economic reasons as to why.’

Shailesh Patel, 62, who runs a key shop in Camden high street with his son Nick added: ‘This area is good. As a business immigration provides a lot of support.

‘There has been a lot of change here, in this area all of our white customers have moved to London city. They don’t live here anymore.

‘These white people were our customers but they aren’t here anymore because there was too much population in this area so they moved.

‘This is the negative side, there is too much population with everyone coming from other countries to here.’

Barber Samuel, who runs Sammy’s Embassy said: ‘Camden has changed in the last five years trust me.

‘There are positives everywhere here. There is nothing negative in the last five years in terms of immigration.

‘We have got everyone here, Germans, Americans, everyone is here. I don’t see anything negative compared to the past.

‘It is everywhere not just Camden. It is everywhere in the UK and other countries.

‘It is not a bad area it is a good area. They need to help the children and the NHS. Something has to be done.’

John Card, 67, who has lived in Camden since 1986 said: ‘I am not surprised no. It is London and that is just the way London is.

‘Camden is still Camden though. I don’t think there is any change, I really don’t believe there is any change.

‘The world is completely changing and we have to accept it. It is time to finally accept it is happening and find a way positively to deal with it.

‘I grew up in the 60’s where there was mass hysteria about immigration. It has always been there.’