Hydro ferry may link Swansea and south-west England

A ferry service powered by hydrogen energy could start running between Swansea and south-west England.

The trip, which would venture across the Bristol Channel to link Wales with Cornwall and Devon, is being discussed by councils in the counties.

The idea is said to be at a very early stage, however, and details remain sparse.

There is also no indication whether the crossing could also be used for goods and freight.

But if it is given the go-ahead, Swansea's council leader said it would be a "massive boost for tourism and business".

Rob Stewart said he was keen on the idea as it could "cut your travel time to Devon and Cornwall by half".

"It would have environmental benefits too: taking cars off the road and introducing green-powered ferries," he added.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that just over a week ago, Labour's Mr Stewart said the council was looking at which locations in Cornwall or Devon could be used for the service.

But the leader of Swansea Conservatives, Lyndon Jones, said the ferry idea had been put forward by the Conservative MP for North Devon, Selaine Saxby.

"Selaine has since organised a meeting with the (Welsh) Secretary of State (Simon Hart), which will be held shortly, with stakeholders from both sides of the water, to which one of a number of people she invited is Rob Stewart as leader of Swansea council," Mr Jones said.

Luke Fletcher, Plaid Cymru's economy spokesperson for South Wales West, said: "Wales is long overdue a comprehensive hydrogen economy strategy, and whilst proposals like this are exciting exciting, we need leadership from Welsh government on Wales' overall ambition in relation to hydrogen economy."

It is not the first time the idea of a ferry service linking Cornwall or Devon to Wales has been put forward.

Some years ago there were discussions at Cornwall council about the possibility, and a proposed service was drawn up to link Swansea and Ilfracombe in Devon, although it never materialised.