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The BBC faced a backlash last night as viewers complained a documentary on immigration in east London was "racist and inflammatory".

Some viewers claimed the programme, called "Last Whites of the East End", risked stoking tensions in areas with high levels of immigration.

The documentary claimed white British people are leaving the borough of Newham in such numbers that 73 per cent of the local population is now made up of black and minority ethnic people.

Over the past 15 years, 70,000 immigrants have moved into the borough, meaning it now has the lowest percentage of white British residents of anywhere in London.

But the BBC One show sparked a backlash among some viewers on social media.

Dozens took to Twitter to vent their anger, including Nazia Mirza, who wrote: "This programme is going to convince the uninformed & those inclined to racism to justify their bigotry #lastwhitesoftheeastend."

Alexander Kuye tweeted: "Programmes like this gives ammunition to EDL and far right groups to whip up local tensions. Very Disappointed!"

And Cass Blakeman ‏said: "What was motivation to make #LastWhitesOfTheEastEnd? Already incendiary, it's guaranteed to fuel #Racists"

Some even went as far as saying they would cancel their licence fee.

Amy Wyatt wrote: "I'm cancelling my direct debit tomorrow. How do the BBC think they can make racist propaganda?

"If every person of colour and anti-racist white people stopped paying their @BBC licence, maybe the BBC would stop its racist propaganda."

The programme revealed that Newham is now the most multicultural place in the UK, with 147 languages spoken across the borough.

Children at one local primary school, Drew Primary in Docklands, speak 43 different languages, with a new non-English speaking pupil arriving each week.

The Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, also slammed the programme, saying: “One of this borough’s greatest strengths is its diversity. People from all backgrounds, cultures and faiths proudly call Newham home. The distorted image of our borough reportedly portrayed in this documentary is not one I or the majority of our residents identify with.

“Every part of the country sees changes in their local communities over the years. This could be for many reasons including changes in the economy and people looking for work and high house prices in their local area.

“We will be hugely disappointed if this programme is as negative about the borough as the reports suggest. This would mean the BBC is broadcasting the kind of sensationalist stories that just stir up tensions across communities.”

But not everyone was opposed to the content of the documentary, with some applauding the BBC for drawing attention to issues facing areas such as Newham.

Brian Williams wrote: "Some people are going to find #Lastwhites terrifying. However I think writing off the grievances expressed as purely racism is wrong."

While Brian McAuslan ‏tweeted: "Don't agree with all of the programme's content, but the way concerns of working-class voters are dismissed is sad. #LastWhitesOfTheEastEnd."

And Thomas Evans added: "#LastWhitesOfTheEastEnd Generations of families who fought for areas ousted due to unsustainable immigration. Absolutely heartbreaking."

A BBC spokesperson said: “The documentary Last Whites of the East End sets out to explore the impact of rapid change on long standing communities in the East End of London and to discover why some people are choosing to leave the area.

"The film features a wide range of people voicing their personal opinions and shows many different facets of life in Newham, exploring both positive and negative views across a variety of issues.”