Welsh values being swamped: Archdruid

English people who move to Wales do so to "colonise" rather than to integrate, the Archdruid of Wales said on Monday.

Dr Robyn Lewis accused those moving across the border of being unwilling to accept local customs and of believing their own culture to be superior.

The Gorsedd Archdruid was speaking on BBC Radio Wales about the results of a survey which showed that Pwllheli in North Wales had one of the highest rises in house prices in the UK. Dr Lewis said he objected to the scale of influx to the area, which he claimed was "swamping" Welsh values.

He cited as examples businesses having their names changed from Welsh to English and organisations replacing use of the Welsh language with English.

"Go into a shop and people frown and glare at you because you speak Welsh," said Dr Lewis.

"One feels uncomfortable. These people do not come in to absorb culture, to integrate. They come in to colonise."

He added: "They bring a part of Lancashire to Lleyn. They want us to become like them."

Earlier this year, Plaid Cymru politician Seimon Glyn told English people living in Wales to go home if they did not like it.

Mr Glyn's remarks reignited controversy he caused when he called for strict controls on the number of English people moving to Wales.

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