By Ray Furlong BBC Central Europe correspondent in Prague

Reports in the Czech Republic say that as many as 1,800 Czech gypsies or Roma, as they are also known, have travelled to the United Kingdom this year to seek political asylum.

This is about three times as many as last year, when the numbers of asylum seekers coming from the Czech Republic prompted the British government to deploy customs officials at Prague airport to vet people getting on planes to London.

The new figures, confirmed by the Czech government's special envoy for human rights, are alarming.

Roma have long complained of widespread discrimination

They suggest that the periodic presence of British officials at Prague airport, aimed at preventing potential asylum seekers even getting on a plane, has failed to stem the tide.

Roma have long complained of widespread discrimination, but many have also openly admitted they are travelling to the UK for economic reasons.

On Thursday the new Czech Prime Minster Vladimir Spidla appealed to Roma to stay here.

He said he appreciated their problems but that leaving the country would not solve anything.

Only a handful of Roma have been granted asylum in the UK - others have been returned as economic migrants.

Many have also openly admitted they are travelling to the UK for economic reasons

The Czech authorities are now considering punishing those people by not paying them backdated welfare benefits when they return from abroad.

The fear is that the large numbers travelling to the UK would lead Britain to impose a visa requirement for Czech citizens.

This would be highly embarrassing for a country which is one of the leading candidates to join the European Union.