CORRESPONDENT D. Crompton laments the threat to "our way of life"; Roger Bowden the erosion of "our historic culture" and both blame immigrants.

In fact our culture has benefited from immigration. Would we really be better off without Italian, Indian and Chinese food? Where would our NHS be without the thousands of doctors, nurses and others who have come from overseas since Enoch Powell (yes, it was he) invited West Indian nurses here in the 1950s? And today don't we rely on immigrants to help staff old people's homes and pick and process our food in East Anglia, and elsewhere?

What we should be ashamed of is that these newcomers are not always welcomed. In particular that those who have been forced to flee torture and persecution, and seek asylum here, are forbidden to work and often locked up like criminals. Only two weeks ago the Aftab family, who had two daughters at Holy Cross College and one about to start studying medicine, were seized from their home, locked up and then deported.

Two weeks ago, more than 60 people protested outside Forest Bank, the new prison in Agecroft, Salford, where unknown numbers of asylum-seekers are held for the crime" of working to support themselves and are awaiting deportation. We know that many deportees have faced imprisonment in appalling conditions, even death.

Is it not part of "our way of life" to support and welcome these brave people? We should reject out of hand the racism of the Nazi BNP which tries to scapegoat immigrants and all black British people for the ills of our society.

JUDY PASKELL