The number of Romanian and Bulgarian workers in Britain reached a new high of 219,000, according to data from the Office for National Statistics cited by The Telegraph. The figure represents a 30,000 increase year-on-year, or 16%.

Moreover, the overall European Union immigrant workforce in Britain reached 2.1 million for the first time.

The number of workers from eight former Communist countries which joined the EU in 2004, including Poland, also increased by 200,000 in two years, reaching 982,000 between end-July and end-September.

According to Telegraph, the figures give further evidence of how the EU's free movement rules affect Britain's ability to control its borders, as the British Government continues its efforts to cut net migration to the "tens of thousands".

Romanian and Bulgarian workers gained full access to the British job market on January 1, 2014.

Number of Romanian workers in the UK triples in one year

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com