got „out of control“, Britain could impose a visa requirement on Czech citizens. The Home Office said the number of asylum applications from the Czech republic had jumped from five in January to 192 in July. These included a larger number of Gypsies who say they are fleeing persecution, officials said. „There is obviously, in the Czech republic, a development, a number of Roma (Gypsy) citizens trying to come into the United Kingdom and that is a matter of very great concern to us,“ Lord Bassam told BBC radio. He said the British ambassador in Prague had been talking to the Czech government and „explaining to them how we feel about the situation.“ So far this year Britain has rejected all the asylum applications from the Czech republic, the minister said, „because we do not feel that they are genuine refugees,“ even though one or two had been accepted on appeal. One option, he said, would be for Britain to impose a visa requirement on Czech citizens, but „we would prefer not to take that option… If the situation does get out of control that is something that we will have to very seriously consider.“ „We don‘t want to undermine our economic relationship with the Czech republic, which I‘m sure is very beneficial to both them and us,“ he added. A spokesman for the Czech Foreign Ministry told BBC radio that „any obstacle for free movement of our citizens to Britain, the number amounts to 140,000 a year, would be perceived by the Czech republic as a significant step back with regard to the achievement of the democratic process in our country.“ Britain is also trying to ease an influx of asylum seekers in Dover.