The immigration wave, which UK expected after Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession 'failed to materialise,' The Independent said.

Journalists sent to Romania to report on immigration sentiments said that fears of mass worker migration were complete waste of time as no one wanted to immigrate.

According to some groups the lack of massive migration wave in the first days of Bulgaria and Romania's EU membership was proof that the flood would be ' more of a trickle.'

Some experts said that up to 180 000 immigrants from the new EU members would seek work in the UK. Local government offered 22 000 work permits.

Simona Tatulescu, a Romanian tax expert who worked in 2002 told The Independent that those who expected to see crowds of 'Romanian plasterers [and] Bulgarian cleaners' in the UK would be disappointed.

Bulgarians and Romanians did not want to immigrate to the UK only to live on benefit and to be miserable, she said. Those who would arrive to do low-qualified work would stay for short periods in the country.

The Independent said that new rules for long-term work permits for agricultural workers stated that 40 per cent of the work places in UK agriculture would be given to Bulgarians and Romanians. All 16 500 work places would be first offered to workers from the two countries in 2008.

Critics said that it was unsure whether enough Bulgarians and Romanians would be willing to go to the UK to meet the agricultural workers demand.