A consul service could soon be provided for Portuguese migrant workers in East Anglia.It was among the initiatives suggested as Portuguese Consul Macedo Leao and the local Consular representative Antonio Choca visited Swaffham on Friday.

A consul service could soon be provided for Portuguese migrant workers in East Anglia.

It was among the initiatives suggested as Portuguese Consul Macedo Leao and the local Consular representative Antonio Choca visited Swaffham on Friday.

The town is one of the areas of Norfolk which has seen a huge rise in the number of migrant workers in recent years.

Latest estimates are that between 2005 and 2006 Breckland saw its population grow by more than 1300 almost entirely because of migration from countries such as Poland, Portugal, Lithuania and Latvia.

The meeting at Swaffham Community Centre included representatives from a range of councils, police and other bodies and celebrated the success of partnership working to integrate Portuguese migrants into established communities.

People heard about the Iceni Partnership establishing the Swaffham Community Centre and Breckland Council's initiatives to improve support to new communities and action taken against rogue landlords who let low-quality accommodation.

Among the initiatives discussed were having public events to celebrate Portugal national day, sports and arts provision and local access to information and the Portuguese Consulate.

Breckland deputy leader William Smith chaired the meeting and said: “It was a delight to welcome our Portuguese visitors today. We were able to showcase the great work carried out in Breckland. It was very encouraging that a common theme quickly emerged about providing services that are fair and equally accessible to everyone, rather than targeted to a particular community.