This worryingly crowded isle: England is officially Europe's most densely packed country

England has overtaken the Netherlands and is second only to tiny Malta
Over the next 30 years the gap is expected to widen even more
Figures show the huge impact of Labour’s open-door immigration policy

By JAMES SLACK

PUBLISHED: 22:14, 27 December 2013 | UPDATED: 23:19, 27 December 2013

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England has become the most overcrowded major country in Europe.

Population growth is so rapid that four times as many people will soon be crammed in as France and twice as many as Germany.

England has overtaken the Netherlands to become second only to tiny Malta as the most densely populated nation in the EU.

Squeeze: England has overtaken the Netherlands to become the most densely populated major nation in the EU

Over the next 30 years the gap will widen because Germany, France and Holland will either decline or grow only slowly.

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The House of Commons figures – based on data from the UK and EU statistical agencies – show the huge impact of Labour’s open-door immigration policy.

By 2046, an estimated 494 people will be squeezed into every square kilometre of England compared with 411 now and only 374 when Tony Blair took power in 1997.

Lax controls: The figures - based on data from the UK and EU statistical agencies - show the huge impact of Labour's open-door immigration policy

The revelations will fuel the debate over immigration, especially with the UK opening its borders to Romanian and Bulgarian workers on New Year’s Day.

James Clappison, the Tory MP who obtained the figures, said: ‘Under the last Labour government, England’s green and pleasant land became England’s green and crowded land.

ENGLAND FEELS THE SQUEEZE

Number of people expected to be living per square kilometre in 2015 - by country

England - 419
Holland - 408
Wales - 258
Germany - 226
Italy - 205
N. Ireland - 130
Poland - 123
Portugal - 116
France - 105
Romania - 89
Bulgaria - 66
Scotland - 40

‘For reasons which have never been properly explained, Labour instigated a policy of massive expansion of immigration.

The fear must be a future Labour government would do the same’. Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the Migrationwatch think-tank, said 90 per cent of immigrants to the UK headed to England.

‘The rapidly growing population density is an inevitable consequence of Labour’s mass immigration of nearly four million in 13 years,’ he added.

‘We already see the pressure on maternity units and primary schools. Less visible is the pressure on housing, which is already in crisis.

‘We will need to build 200 houses a day for the next 20 years or so simply for new immigrants and their families.’

The House of Commons report says the number of people living in every square kilometre in England will rise from 411 now to 419 in 2015, to 433 in 2020 and to 460 in 2030.

By 2046, an astonishing 494 people will be living in each square kilometre.

The equivalent figure for France will be just 115, for Germany 204 and the Netherlands 421.

By 2015, England will also be more than three times more packed than Poland – where an estimated one million of the arrivals under Labour originated from.

The research raises concerns about how the UK’s infrastructure can cope with the increased pressure on schools, hospitals and roads.

Clash: Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable, left, likened David Cameron's policies to Enoch Powell’s notorious 1960s ‘rivers of blood’ speech

The large numbers packed into the country will also affect water and power supplies, and will increase pressure to build over green spaces.

David Cameron, under pressure to confront the electoral threat posed by UKIP, has changed the law to prevent EU migrants claiming any benefits in the first three months following arrival.

DAILY MAIL COMMENT

In the wake of the open door immigration policies deliberately pursued by New Labour, England is now the most crowded country in Europe.

By 2015, there will be twice as many people crammed into every square kilometre as in Germany, and four times more than in France.

Only three decades from now, unless there is a significant tightening in border controls, there will be almost 495 people living in each square kilometre – compared to only 374 when Labour came to power in 1997.

Vince Cable and his colleagues on the Left disgracefully suggest that it is somehow racist to worry about immigration.

As our revelations show, it has nothing to do with race – and everything to do with how schools, social services, the NHS and housing can possibly be expected to cope with such unprecedented pressure.

Officials say they want to reduce the ‘pull factor’ to the UK.

Last weekend, tensions between the two Coalition government parties boiled over when Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable likened Tory policies to Enoch Powell’s notorious 1960s ‘rivers of blood’ speech.

The Office for National Statistics has already warned that Britain must make room for almost 10million more people over the next 25 years – the equivalent of building a city even larger than London.

The increase, mainly a result of immigration and high migrant birthrates, will push numbers to 73.3million by 2037.

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Immigration has brought benefits to the UK and we welcome people who want to come here to contribute to our economy and society.

‘However, it is important to control immigration because of its effect on social cohesion, our public services, and on jobs and wages.’

The figures for the rest of the UK in 2015 are predicted to be: Scotland 40 per square kilometre, Wales 258 and Northern Ireland 131. Malta’s figure is expected to be 1,308.