Scarborough Builders Lose out to Migrants

Builders in the North Yorkshire resort of Scarborough have claimed they are being priced out of work by incoming migrant workers.

They claim that the East Europeans are working for a third less than their British counterparts - in one case being paid £10 per hour rather than the £15 a British worker would be paid. They claim that the issue could seriously damage the future of the building trade in the town, as employers won't bother to train young local apprentices if they can hire cheap migrant labour.

One builder states that many skilled people are becoming unemployed because of the hiring of the cheap migrant labour.

Recent estimates have put up to 10,000 migrant workers in North Yorkshire - many employed in building, and also in shops, factories, hotels, bars and restaurants.

Scarborough has an unemployment figure above the national average, one of the highest in North Yorkshire.