The number of Romanians and Bulgarians working in the UK shot up by a fifth in the three months to September, official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics said around 189,000 people from the two Eastern European countries were working in the UK in the second quarter of the year – up 31,000, or 20 per cent, on the previous three months.

It also compares to 150,000 during January to March.

Employment restrictions for the two countries were lifted at the start of the year.