Almost two-thirds of people in Britain fear race relations are so poor tensions are likely to spill over into violence, a BBC poll has suggested.
Of the 1,000 people asked, 60% said the UK had too many immigrants and half wanted foreigners encouraged to leave.
But the proportion of people describing themselves as “racially prejudiced” was down to 20%, compared with 24% in 2005.
Equality and Human Rights Commission head Trevor Phillips said the findings were “alarming”.
And almost two in three feared tension was certain or likely to lead to violence, although it is not clear whether people are imagining full-blown street riots or minor scuffles.
Mr Phillips told BBC News: “What worries me is if that friction starts to catch fire – if people do genuinely believe it’s going to catch fire then we’re in trouble