Outcry over call for Welsh reservoir to supply water to London

The GMB union wants water from the Craig Goch reservoir at the Elan Valley, near Rhayader, to be transported via the Cotswold canals in case of drought.

But Plaid Cymru said the Welsh Government controlled the resource in Wales and that any such proposal to help Thames Water should be "fiercely resisted".

The Welsh Government said it would need to be consulted.

The Craig Doch dam, in the Elan Valley, was built by the city of Birmingham at the beginning of the 20th Century to supply water.

The issue of water has been highly controversial in Wales since the flooding in the 1960s of Capel Celyn in the Tryweryn valley to supply Liverpool.

But, as part of the devolution of powers to Wales, the authority to make decisions on the matter is now shared between the Welsh and UK governments.

What does the GMB want?

The GMB says the current restoration of the Cotswold canals in Gloucestershire should be seized as an opportunity to transfer water from the reservoir to the Thames.

A recent meeting of the GMB's Congress passed a resolution saying long term weather cycles meant London and parts of south east England "will experience periods of low rainfall that will result in reservoirs running short of water".

The resolution said: "There is no shortage of water in Britain but there is a lack of capacity to get the water from where it is plentiful to areas where it can be scarce from time to time."

Mick Ainsley, GMB regional organiser for London, said: "People want to know their water supply is safe and are fed up with excuses as to why moving water around the country to where it's needed can't happen, it's time to make it happen.

"We need to be putting the national interest before private profits."

But Plaid Cymru's Arfon MP Hywel Williams said it was not up to the UK government in London or individual trade unions "to tell the people of Wales what should be done with our water".

"The Welsh Government has control of Welsh water - any attempt at bargaining away one of our most powerful natural resources should be fiercely resisted," he said.

"If it is to be transferred to London and the south east, it should be for a proper price.

"The GMB should be mindful that this matter has a long and painful history in Wales - they are clearly trampling on an issue they do not understand."

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "If there are any proposals that could affect Wales, the water company would need to consult Natural Resources Wales and the Welsh Government.

"We would expect assurance that any environmental considerations or potential impact on water supplies in Wales are fully addressed in any proposal."

Thames Water has declined to comment. The GMB has also been asked to respond to Mr Williams's comments.

On Wednesday, Thames Water was ordered to pay out £120 million in compensation to customers for poor management of leaks.