IT was the immigration invasion that never was.

On New Year's Day the first wave of a horde of Romanians and Bulgarians was expected to flood into the country to take advantage of relaxed immigration laws.

Ready to meet them at arrival gates at assorted airports were a handful of journalists and publicity-seeking Conservative MPs - who waited like Horatius at the bridge, ready to stem the tide of people they expected to rush into the country to claim benefits, take advantage of the NHS and bring with them all manner of dependents.

And what happened? Very little. Despite the warnings and the whipped up hysteria, the hordes of immigrants failed to materialise and the first to arrive at Luton airport, Romanian-born Victor Spiresau, had sufficient funds and a job awaiting him. It is hard to fathom why this panic should have been whipped up in the first place. Although xenophobia is never far away from the surface of British society, on the whole the country has been reasonably tolerant about immigration.

Indeed, as our multi-cultured society shows, there has been a considerable amount of give-and-take as far as new arrivals are concerned. It is true that in some cases there has been hostility, such as the racist fears that accompanied the first wave of West Indian immigration in the 1950s, but this has always been balanced by a realisation that it is a two-way process.

Just as our economy and society have benefited over the years from migration to countries all over the globe, we have nothing to fear from people who are seeking to improve their lives by bringing their skills and qualifications to the UK in order to develop their careers. In fact, it can be argued that it has been a process which has benefited all concerned.

Leaving one's country to build a new life elsewhere takes courage and determination. Not only are the immigrants uprooting themselves and their families, giving up the familiarities of the past and heading into an unknown and frequently uncertain future, but they are running the risk of hostility whipped up by unthinking prejudice.

So far that seems not to have happened. However, there is no room for complacency - especially when there are disturbing reports that recent anti-immigration rhetoric has made life tougher for Romanians who have been living in the UK for many years.

The UK has long provided a safe haven for large numbers of new arrivals. Instead of weakening the social fabric they have strengthened it. Fortunately, all the available evidence suggests that young people in the UK are reasonably relaxed about immigration - a fact that offers hope for the future.