Romanians and Bulgarians to be told: UK's too cold for you in advertising campaign to try and deter them from coming to Britain 

• At least 70,000 thought come to UK over the next five years
• Government considers plans to limit money new arrivals can claim
• Home Office wants to show migrants London's streets 'not paved with gold'
• New arrivals could damage Government plans slash immigration

By Tim Shipman, Deputy Political Editor

PUBLISHED: 00:03, 28 January 2013 | UPDATED: 00:03, 28 January 2013

Plans have been drawn up for an advertising campaign denouncing Britain as cold and wet to deter Romanians and Bulgarians from coming to the UK.

Ministers are working on ideas to prevent an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe when restrictions are lifted on citizens from the two countries moving to the EU next New Year's Day.

A public information campaign would warn those considering a move that they won't be able to cash in on state largesse – and that the weather is bad.

With a lifting of regulations on Romanians and Bulgarians in the UK the Government is considering a number of options to avoid the country's border being clogged with new migrants

Under proposals being examined in Downing Street, the Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions, the new migrants – who are expected to number at least 70,000 over the next five years – would face tough restrictions on the benefits they could claim.

One option would see new arrivals deported after three months if they don't have a job. Another plan would require those arriving from Romania and Bulgaria to show they have the means to support themselves for six months.

The 'nuclear option' would be to declare an 'economic emergency' to defer arrivals – though government lawyers are nervous about the legality of such a move.

Once the plans to limit the amount of money new arrivals can claim are in place they are likely to form the heart of an advertising campaign later this year.

A senior Government source told the Mail: 'By the time people are able to come here we would want to have something in place and we would want people considering coming here to know what they could expect.'

A minister said an advertising campaign was needed to 'correct the impression that the streets here are paved with gold'.

David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May are concerned new arrivals will wreck efforts to slash immigration – a key election pledge.

One of those involved in discussions said: 'Every single thing we've done on immigration risks being blown out of the water by this. Bettering Labour on immigration is one of the best cards we have.'

But despite the warnings of restrictions, agencies have sprung up in Romania and Bulgaria offering to arrange work in the UK.

Britain has a buoyant job market, in contrast to some EU nations, and access to welfare payments is easier than in Germany or France, which will be relaxing work restrictions at the same time.

One job agency in the Romanian capital Bucharest told undercover reporters it has hundreds registering for work in the UK and the waiting list is so long they are no longer accepting applications. While the minimum wage in the UK is £6.19 per hour, in Bulgaria it is just 73p and, in Romania, 79p.

The average weekly wage is £63.50 in Bulgaria and £86 in Romania. The only state benefit available in either country is child benefit, which is £3.50 per child per week in Bulgaria and £3.69 in Romania. In Britain, a single person can claim up to £71 a week in jobseekers' allowance.

Housing benefit varies depending on local authorities. Child benefit adds another £20.30 a week for the first child and £13.40 for each one after that.

Visitors from the European Economic Area who demonstrate they 'have or retain worker status may be able to claim income-based jobseekers' allowance, income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit, income-related employment and support allowance, and state pension credit.