MERTHYR council faces an official reprimand after being branded "a complete farce" by Welsh language campaigners in a complaint to the local government watchdog, after it launched an English-only website.

In a letter to the Public Service Ombudsman, members of campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society) have accused the local authority of consistent and severe breaches of its legally-binding language scheme.

According to the campaigners, in a recent meeting, council officers freely admitted that the scheme is being breached regularly with forms, telephone messages and official communications often ignoring commitments to bilingualism.It's also come to light that the local authority is failing to report all written complaints about breaches to its scheme to councillors or the Welsh Language Board, claiming that they don't count as corporate complaints.

Jamie Bevan, a member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg who lives in Merthyr, who wrote the complaint to the Ombudsman said:

"We have heard promises for years that things are going to improve in the council in terms of the Welsh language. But even the council admits that it's not meeting nearly any of its language scheme. It's about time for the Welsh Language Board got to grips with the situation and asked Ministers to force the council to change their ways. It's a major concern that I and others have sent to a specific officer have been considered official complaints."

Bethan Williams, Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg added:

"The council is a complete farce - there are so many English only forms and the website is a joke. One of our members went to ask to make a complaint in Welsh recently, but was told no complaints forms were available in Welsh. The fact that the website is English only reflects the attitude and complete failure to deliver even the basic of Welsh language services.

"Merthyr council has no excuse. Every year, six hundred children from Merthyr go to Ysgol Rhydywaun and so are fully bilingual on leaving school, but the council makes no use of, and does not value, those skills. There are big questions to be asked of the Language Board in this mess. How have they let the council end up like this?"

The campaign group has written to the Welsh Language board to aks them to hold a fully inquiry into Merthyr Council.