Bradford employers have contradicted a report that claims immigration has been bad for the UK economy.

They say that without overseas workers, some companies would not be able to recruit people with the right skills.

The House of Lords' all-party Economic Affairs Committee, which includes two former Chancellors of the Exchequer and other former ministers, concluded that record immigration had led to "little or no impact" on economic well-being.

Their report called for a cap on the number of immigrants entering Britain from outside the EU where there is free movement of people between member states.

Sandy Needham, chief executive of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, which represents about 1,100 firms, said that many of its members would struggle to find the staff with the skills they needed unless they recruited immigrant workers.

She said: "Feedback from our members makes it clear that immigrant workers are playing a valuable role in Bradford's economy.

"There is no question of companies discriminating against local people. It's simply a case of firms being able to attract people with the necessary skills.

"In sectors such as construction which has been very buoyant in recent years, many employers would have struggled without having a pool of people from overseas to recruit from.

"In an open market it's a case of recruiting the best person for the job no matter where they are from. Employers in this part of the world are doing what the Government wants them to do and applying fair recruitment policies and taking on skilled people."

Mrs Needham said the Bradford economy suffered a skills shortage across the board and people with the required skills should be able to find a job.

One employer that has turned to overseas workers to maintain production is Harden Fine Foods which employs about 200 people manufacturing products such as cakes, flapjacks and shortbread at Lidget Green, Bradford.

Operations director Nick Pegg said the firm employed people from several countries, mainly in the EU such as Poland and Slovakia who had turned out to be excellent workers in a range of jobs including production and supervisory roles.

He said: " In an ideal world I would like to see 50 young English people knocking on the door for work but they just aren't there. Our experience of recruiting immigrant workers has been positive and they have played a valuable role in our operations."

Immigrant applicants at Harden Fine Foods are put through a test including basic English, maths and observation skills to ensure they meet the firm's requirements.

Following the report Immigration Minister Liam Byrne pledged to put national interests "centre stage".

He said "The report actually confirms that about £6 billion was added to the economy in 2006, that is a big number."

He said the report was "fresh evidence" of the need for a shake-up in immigration policy such as the new Australian-style points system being introduced.