More than 860 immigrants pour into Britain every day - a figure which does not even include those entering illegally.

Official statistics reveal that the immigrant population has leapt by almost 2.4million since Labour came to power a decade ago.

They were released as the Government faced accusations of "fiddling the figures" after claiming the number of migrants from outside the EU was over half.

The figures show an increase of 316,000 immigrants - or 865 a day - for 2006 alone, the latest period for which figures are available.

At the same time, 715,000 British citizens have packed their bags and left - including 126,000 in 2006.

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With one in ten residents now born abroad, the result is a dramatic change to the face of British society.

The figures were broken down by the Office for National Statistics in a bid to settle the row over where the bulk of new arrivals are coming from.

Normally, the focus is placed on "net migration" - the difference between the number of all people arriving in Britain, and those who are leaving.

The total - which was 191,000 in 2006 - includes British citizens returning from long-trips abroad or who are emigrating.

As a result, it masks the dramatic changes in the foreign population.

But once Britons are removed, the full details of the unprecedented wave of immigration from overseas is laid bare.

In total, 2,337,000 more foreigners have arrived since 1997 than have left - increasing the overseas-born population by 640 every day.

The figure also only takes into account legal immigrants, meaning the true rate of immigration would be even higher.

Shadow Immigration Minister, Damian Green, said: "It is clear there are huge pressures on public services because of the sheer scale of the rising population. Ministers are foolish to ignore this growing problem."

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