Walking down West Street in Boston, Lincolnshire, it's clear to see things have changed in this market town.

The street is dominated by businesses set up by those who came to the area for work from countries like Poland, Lithuania and Latvia once they joined the EU in 2004.

According to the most recent census in 2011, Boston has the highest proportion of Eastern European immigrants anywhere in the UK. In the ten years since 2004, the town’s migrant population grew by 460 percent.

The town also has a high number of Portuguese and Romanian workers who have come to the UK to pick up agricultural work and work with local packaging firms.

This influx of new residents to the area - who are now thought to make up around 11 percent of the Borough of Boston's population - has brought a host of changes to the local area.

Lincolnshire Live spoke to people in the town to find out what has changed.

One resident, 57-year-old George Crone, said: "It has definitely changed a lot. 20 years ago, I actually think the town centre was a lot more diverse but now it is mainly full of Eastern European-owned businesses.

"As workers have come over, they and their families have brought their own business ideas and looked at what others have done. It's led to lots more off-licences and hairdressers.

"I don't mind those kinds of businesses being here, but it's the things that we're missing out on that I don't really agree with. It's what all of that has been at the expense of."

Social changes in Boston and some discontent surrounding immigrant workers has led to some labelling the town as Britain's 'most divided town.'

Another resident, John Woodward, is a 73-year-old market trader of the town.

He said: "Well, West Street here used to be full of traditional English businesses like butchers, post offices and grocers. But now, they seem to be of every other nationality.

"It's hard to feel the town hasn't lost something in that respect. It's the same with Red Lion Street.

"A lot of the English people shun others who have migrated here, but I get on well with them. I try my best to be friendly.

"They've come here to work, they work hard, and they don't cause trouble."

Retired builder Maurice Stubbs, who lives in the neighbouring village of Swineshead, frequently comes to Boston to shop.

He added: "Certainly things have changed here. There are less and less recognised retailers in the high street and of course a lot more people from other countries live here, but I'm not against that. They are here working.

An Eastern European off-licence on West Street in Boston

"West Street is a good example of the way the local community has changed and I think it's possible that more and more of these changes will continue to happen.

"A lot of young English people do not seem to want to work on the land and I guess that means employers need to turn elsewhere.

"I've lived in Lincolnshire all my life and the pace of change here in Boston is really something."

A resident who recently moved to the town from Poland, Karolina Wojnowski, a 31-year-old grocery shop worker, described what it has been like for her to live in the town.

She said: "When I came here five years ago, the area felt a lot better. Now there's an even greater variety of cultures here and I think that's had an effect where it's led to more of a division.

"It really depends on who you communicate with but you can tell some people want nothing to do with migrants.

"There's a need among the people coming here to accept the views of local people though and why they think like that."

An Eastern European off-licence on West Street in Boston

Paul Goodale, a Labour councillor at Boston Borough Council said: "I think you'd have to be blind to say the town hasn't changed a lot and I think a lot of it has been positive

"The town is more metropolitan than it was before - which I guess some people see as a negative - but for me, the cultural exchanges taking place here are only for the better.

"We now need to work to integrate the different communities better."

Paul Skinner, a Conservative councillor in the town, said: "There's always going to be mixed views on immigration.

"My wife was mayor here before the current one and together we've seen what different communities bring to the area, how they support one another. I see it as a positive thing.

"People have settled here and now the challenge is to create more well-paid jobs here."