Councillors are seeking urgent talks with the Welsh Assembly about the future of a former psychiatric hospital in Carmarthen amid speculation it could be used as a centre to house asylum seekers.

Both the Carmarthenshire council leader and chief executive want to talk to Health Minister Jane Hut about their concerns over the future of the closed St David's Hospital.

Matters such as this do need to be handled very sensitively.

Chief executive Mark James

Council leader Meryl Gravell said there was concern the assembly was considering this proposal without any consultation.

However, an assembly spokeswoman would not comment other than to say bids for the hospital site were currently being considered.

Any decision on housing asylum seekers on the site would be down to the Home Office.

The latest row about housing asylum seekers in Wales follows one in May involving another former psychiatric hospital near Barry in south Wales.

Residents near the Grade Two listed site in Sully in the Vale of Glamorgan staged protests ahead of a government decision which eventually shelved plans to house up to 750 people there.

Dispersal

Concerns over the location of asylum seekers is a real problem for the UK government.

As many as 15 asylum seeker accommodation centres could be built under new government plans to deal with the dispersal of refugees around the UK.

In setting up camps, the government has moved away from its previous policy of locating the increasing number of refugees seeking asylum.

"The speculation that St David¿s Hospital is to be turned into an asylum centre is causing a great deal of concern in the community, " said Carmarthenshire leader Meryl Gravell.

Sully Hospital has been turned down as a refugee centre

She said the authority supported the need to re-house asylum seekers in this country and Carmarthenshire.

It was already part of a consortium of Welsh councils prepared to provide suitable and appropriate housing when required, she said.

"We are extremely concerned that the Welsh Assembly are considering this proposal without any prior consultation.

The council's chief executive, Mark James, added his concerns.

"The council is extremely concerned that this speculation is causing a great deal of concern in the local community and that the Welsh Assembly had not communicated its intentions to us."

"Matters such as this do need to be handled very sensitively.

"We will be urging the health minister to come and see for herself how inappropriate St David's would really be for an asylum centre, before a final decision is made on the future of the building," said Mr James.