Campaigners warn this will put strain on housing, schools and the NHS

Between 2011 and 2051 total population will increase from 63.4m to 77.4m

Minority population will increase three times faster than whites to 2051

The ethnic minority population in Britain will more than double by the middle of this century, meaning one in four Britons will be from black or minority groups by 2051, research shows.

The huge rise will be due to a baby boom among Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and African immigrants who usually come to this country during their young, child bearing years.

Campaigners fear that this sudden increase will put pressure on housing, schools and the NHS, and worsen the quality of life in Britain as a whole.

A baby boom among ethnic minorities in the UK will see numbers rocket by the middle of the century, according to new data, with a quarter of Britons coming from a minority background by 2051

The research, carried out by Leeds University and reported in The Times, shows that overall, between 2011 and 2051, the UK's population will rise from 63.4 million to 77.4 million.

While the number of white Britons will increase over that time, by almost three million, the minority population will increase more than three times faster, by 10 million.

By the midpoint of the 21st century, minority ethnic communities will make up 24.3 per cent of the total population, compared with 12.8 per cent during the 2011 census.

In contrast the proportion of whites will drop from 87.2 per cent in 2011 to 75.7 per cent in 2015.

The sudden rise in the ethnic minority population marks an increase on predictions from the same university just five years ago.

In an almost identical study, published in July 2010, professors at Leeds University predicted that ethnic minorities would make up around a fifth of the total population by 2051.

In the same study they also predicted that British society would become much more integrated, with those from ethnic minorities moving into more affluent areas.

Professor Philip Rees, who led the project, said: 'The ethnic makeup of UK's population is evolving significantly.

'Groups outside the White British majority are increasing in size and share, not just in the areas of initial migration, but throughout the country and our projections suggest that this trend is set to continue through to 2051.

While the white British population will increase between now and 2051, the minority population will increase nearly three times as fast, meaning they will make up a greater share of the population

'At a regional level, ethnic minorities will shift out of deprived inner city areas to more affluent areas, which echoes the way white groups have migrated in the past.

'In particular black and Asian populations in the least deprived local authorities will increase significantly.'

The new research is likely to cause anxiety for those pushing for greater control of British borders, including an in-out referendum on the EU, or a renegotiation of the open borders treaty.

While the Conservatives pledged at the last election to cut net migration from 'the hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands', it now stands at just under 300,000 per year.

While Cameron has promised a renegotiation of EU laws if reelected, followed by a referendum, the Tory manifesto only contains an 'ambition' to cut current migration.

While Ed Miliband has admitted that Tony Blair's Labour government made mistakes on immigration, he has also failed to commit to targets, though he has insisted that all new migrants should be able to speak English.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan also announced yesterday that her department is conducting a review into the pressures that migrants put on schools.

That echoes the concerns of researchers such as David Coleman, professor of demography at Oxford University, who said: 'Money of the consequences of large-scale migration are damaging.

'We do not need up to 13 million more people by the mid century. Almost all that increase will be immigrants and their children. It will not make the UK a happier or richer place.