See clips and content from the BBC programme: The Poles are Coming! BBC Two, Tuesday 11 March, 9pm 'Is white working class Britain becoming invisible?'

What do you think?
Comment below, email us: news@peterboroughtoday.co.uk or telephone the newsdesk 01733 555111.
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THE STUDENT: Sabina Tate (17) , student, from Market Deeping:
The programme gave me the impression the actual number of immigrants in Peterborough is a lot higher than I first thought.

It gives a bad impression of the city.

Anyone who does not know Peterborough will be left thinking the city is flooded with Poles. In some areas that is the case, but not the whole of Peterborough.

The programme highlighted many current problems, such as overpopulated schools, overcrowded accommodation and excessive demands on police and community resources. I feel this is due to lack of planning and control on the Government's part and these problems should have been anticipated.

A major complaint from the people of Peterborough is the lack of jobs for the unemployed. Some locals feel this is due to the immigrants supposedly taking all the work and accepting lower wages in return. However, the reality of this is rather different.

The Polish workers appear more enthusiastic about work. They are willing to work long hours doing jobs which some of the British unemployed aren't prepared to do.

As a young person, I feel it is a shame some British youngsters have lost enthusiasm to work and find it an easier option to receive benefits.

Nevertheless I sympathise with the locals who have grown up in Peterborough.

Many people feel threatened to walk down the streets due to the influx of different ethnicities, cultures and religions.

Personally, I believe it may have gone too far and it is understandable why some people feel they are gradually becoming strangers in their own towns.

Read ET COMMENT: We have heard it all before

THE MILLFIELD RESIDENT: Hannah Redshaw, photographer
"I grew up in Millfield and two years ago bought my first house in Lincoln Road. I don't think the area is any different to live in than it was 20 years ago.

Immigration is nothing new in Peterborough but at least today these newcomers are working hard for a living. These people aren't rough or rowdy, they are often very skilled people. They have come to England because they are desperate to earn a living and if there is work to be offered then they are as good as any other to do the work.

I met a man a few months ago in the shop across the road from my house who had been made redundant from his job in Poland where he was working as a laboratory assistant for a chemical company. In desperation he came to England to find work in order to help his family. At the time I met him he was still waiting for certification of his qualifications to be sent over but in the meantime was working in his friend's shop.

I'm sure he is not in the minority and many more migrant workers have many skills to offer but are taking the unskilled jobs for now as they are far more available.

I feel safe living in Millfield and am pleased to welcome these friendly and intelligent people.

We must not forget that these people are human and their efforts to speak our language and fit in are evident.

The documentary last night was accurate in the fact that these people are often living in poverty, but I strongly disagree with some of the opinion of the local residents referring to the area as a ghetto. It is pure ignorance and the refusal to accept change."

THE POLISH MIGRANT: Joanna Dziurkiewicz (27), Pharmacist in Peterborough – She came to the city from Poznan two years ago.
"I thought it was quite objective and positive. It highlighted that Polish people are hard workers and don't come here just to live off the English taxpayer. The Poles come to England for the money because salaries in Poland are so bad.

The programme also made the fair point that many of the immigrants are prepared to do the sort of jobs that no-one likes but are essential to the smooth running of everyday life. We have a lot of respect for our employers and we're always keen to work, it's in our ethos. I do agree that there needs to be control on immigration.

Another of the issues the programme highlighted were problems being caused by the number of Poles and other immigrants arriving without speaking a word of English.

It means areas like schooling, doctors and policing are seeing their budgets and resources stretched to breaking point.

I understand people's concerns at the costs of employing extra translators at places like doctors' surgeries. It's bad that people are coming here and not speaking English, they need to learn the basics of the language before they come. The people who complain about people coming to this country should accept that everyone has the right to a better life.

We're contributing to the economy as much as any employed Briton.
The programme also highlighted the effect of mass migration on Poland's economy and workforce. I think many Poles would like to return home but financially it's not worth it."

THE PARISH PRIEST
Fr David Jennings, Parish priest of St Peter and All Souls Roman Catholic Church.
"Peterborough – you're OK!

That was my first reaction to last night's programme 'Immigrants' and that in fact, Peterborough was a more embracing and multicultural city than it perceived itself. While a small percentage of people expressed anxiety over the influx of migrant workers most saw them as hard-working, punctual and enthusiastic people here to earn a decent wage for their families, many of whom had been left back home.

It was a little ironic to suggest in one scene that the immigrants were taking 'our jobs' while refusing in the next breath to do the very jobs the migrant workers were doing.

That said I felt for the City Council who, with a budget based on 2001 Government figures, were struggling to meet the real movement of people into Peterborough. with all its challenges. I also felt for local residents fearful of being overwhelmed. But my experience as the Roman Catholic Priest for most of the new migrant population is we have nothing to fear. Most of these people just want to find a job, live in peace and improve their lot in life. Not far from most of our expectations."

THE MP: Stewart Jackson, MP for Peterborough:
"I wanted to hate this film – and certainly the presenter Tim Samuels was a little irritating, like a poor man's Louis Theroux.

But the film was accurate – how Peterborough, or at least a part of it, really is today. It was moving, bittersweet and above all, melancholic – especially the contrast between the neat streets in the old newsreel film of the city in the '50s with today's scruffy, shabby terraces.

It had its touching moments, such as the young Polish boy learning his alphabet. Above all, however, was a feeling that something had gone badly wrong. The film told an evolving story.

The heroes first: Cllr Charles Swift, passionate, determined and a doughty fighter for New England, the like of whom are a rarity in public life; Millfield residents – angry, confused and resentful but dignified and unbowed in defence of their neighbourhood and the simple Polish workman arriving in Peterborough on his 40th birthday to start a new life.

The villains were largely – as usual – in the shadows. The Labour Government creaming off the tax revenue from uncontrolled immigration irrespective of the cost to our city. Greedy short-termist businesses, delighted to exploit unskilled workers, drive down wages without a thought to social consequences and Rachman landlords – sidling up to decent working people off Lincoln Road with cash-bulging briefcases to buy their houses.

And let's not forget the spotty layabouts outside the job centre, too idle to work – who's to disagree with the presenter when he made it clear that they made him ashamed to be British? A spot of National Service wouldn't go amiss. The film held a mirror up to Peterborough in 2008. Some of it was humanity at its most basic and beautiful, the quest for a better life – but most of it was ugly and made me, who loves Peterborough, sad for what we could be."

THE PUBLIC RELATIONS EXPERT: Richard Astle, Managing director of Athene Communication and director the Greater Peterborough Partnership:
"Two contradictory marketing adages occurred to me last night while watching The Poles are Coming. Firstly that 'perception is reality'. Whether or not the programme presented a balanced view of Peterborough, viewers were left with strong images of a dreary post-industrial city struggling to cope with a huge influx of immigrants.

The second adage is that you can't put lipstick on a gorilla. In other words, there is no use pretending to be something you aren't. In other words are we are kidding ourselves by trying to put lipstick on the ugly face of Peterborough? Or are we victims of sensationalist press coverage that is perpetuating unjustified perceptions of our city? Last night's programme offered a balanced report on the challenges Peterborough faces. We cannot deny the issues it raised or the concerns of the residents of New England.

But there is equally no doubt that the rest of Britain now has a one-sided impression of Peterborough. The final image of the programme – of the drunken Czech sleeping under a bush in a Peterborough park – is not a true reflection.

Peterborough now has to do two things urgently. To address its issues quickly and effectively. And to promote its strengths aggressively but realistically."

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