UK ambassador David Broucher denies discrimination

"Our government should never have allowed anybody to behave like this toward our citizens," said Mr Klaus in a statement issued on Monday.

"It is furthermore increasingly obvious that British officials pay special attention to Roma and thus commit ethnic discrimination."

Last week, Culture Minister Pavel Dostal condemned the policy despite its acceptance by the cabinet of which he is a member.

The speaker of the Czech senate, Petr Pithart, has also criticised it.

Roma reporter Richard Samko was banned from flight to UK

The checks were introduced at Prague's international airport on 18 July, and mean all passengers must be seen by immigration staff before they are allowed to board UK-bound flights.

About 100 people have been turned back by UK officials since the checks were introduced, and although no figures are available, Czech reports say most are believed to be Roma.

The UK Government denies the policy is designed to discriminate against Roma, who face discrimination and harrassment in many parts of Central and Eastern Europe.

"This is certainly no ethnic discrimination, because all travellers must pass the same checks and fulfil the same immigration criteria," British Embassy spokesman Giles Portman told the Czech news agency CTK.

The controversy deepened last week when Czech television showed a Roma journalist, Richard Samko, being turned away by officials at Prague airport, while his non-Roma colleague was allowed on her way.

The secretly-filmed report showed that both had valid tickets, told officials they were going to visit a friend, provided the same London address and declared the same amount of spending money.

Questioning

Mr Samko's female colleague passed swiftly through after initial questioning, but he was taken aside and questioned for another 25 minutes before being refused entry.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan emerged from a meeting with British ambassador David Broucher on Friday to say that the practice of screening travellers to London was legal and would continue.

Polls have shown that ordinary Czechs do not disapprove of the airport measures.