John Elfed Jones: Attack on English migrants

He also blamed English migrants for changing the social make-up of traditional Welsh-speaking areas.

Speaking at the National Eisteddfod in Denbigh, north Wales, Mr Morgan told Plaid Cymru not to "pander" to alleged extremism and risk shattering the consensus on the Welsh language.

Mr Morgan, who was delivering an outline of Labour's vision for bilingualism and advancing Welsh to the festival, said Mr Jones' remarks were "insensitive, unhelpful and inflammatory".

But Mr Jones told BBC Wales he stood by his comments.

"If I have caused unwitting offence, then I apologise. It grieves me to be called a racist.

From the mouths of these in-migrants comes the language familiar to everyone in rural Wales but which is a foreign language

John Elfed Jones

"My article severely criticised the fact that our assembly does not seem able to deal with increased migration into Welsh-speaking areas."

Tory assembly group leader Nick Bourne accused Mr Jones of using language which was "deeply offensive and dangerous" likely to incite hatred.

He condemned Mr Jones's comments of English being a foreign language in Wales as "nonsense".

Rhodri Morgan: Stepping into language row

The current Welsh Language Board chairman Rhodri Williams said Mr Jones's comments were "profoundly unhelpful and completely offensive".

He said the intervention threatened to break the consensus concerning the future of the Welsh language.

Ffred Ffrancis, of the Welsh Language Society/Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, said the future of Welsh-speaking communities was "important for all in Wales".

Earlier this year, Plaid Cymru declined to discipline outspoken Gwynedd councillor Seimon Glyn, who attacked the party leader Ieuan Wyn Jones as a "coward" for failing to address the issue of inward migration.

Mr Glyn had called English migrants a "drain on resources" and in June, members of the pressure group Cymuned signed a declaration calling on politicians to implement "crisis measure" to save the Welsh language.

These comments have no place in a modern Wales

Nick Bourne, leader of assembly Conservatives

Mr Elfed Jones - who advised on the setting up of the Welsh Assembly - said the administration was not prepared to act to preserve the identity of Welsh-speaking communities.

He said that animals had been put ahead of the plight of rural commmunities.

"This movement into our Welsh communities means more often than not that house prices increase unfairly so that there is no hope for young people to buy them.

"And from the mouths of these in-migrants comes the language that is familiar to everyone in rural Wales but which is a foreign language.

"Very quickly, unintentionally, almost without anyone noticing, our indigenous language, and community way of life, has been changed beyond recognition."