The restrictions only apply in rural areas of Carmarthenshire

But they say more needs to be done to make affordable housing available for locals in rural areas in Wales.

Under the changes the owner of a council house would have to sell it to someone who had lived or worked in the area for more than three years.

For 10 years after a sale, the council would also have first refusal to buy the property back.

This is a small step, but a step in the right direction in terms of attempting to secure the housing stock Aled Davies, Cymdeithas yr Iaith

The policy only applies to council houses in rural areas of the county.

On average, one council house in Carmarthenshire is sold every day of the year but they are not being replaced.

There are 1,612 people waiting for a council home outside Carmarthenshire's main towns according to the authority's latest figures.

In April 2001 the council had 3,283 homes in rural wards but because of the Right to Buy scheme the number had fallen to 2,994 in July 2004.

Aled Davies of Cymdeithas yr Iaith (the Welsh Language Society) said his organisation was happy with the move.

"This is a small step, but a step in the right direction in terms of attempting to secure the housing stock for the local people," he said.

"After saying that there are many more measures that could be taken to ensure that local people have houses in their communities.

"Those measures are ones for the county council and the assembly as well as legislation that is needed to control the housing market."

A similar scheme in Gwynedd proved controversial earlier this year when a widow was stopped earlier from selling her ex-council house near Machynlleth to a couple from England.

Cilla Connor was told she could not accept a �240,000 offer for her home and was forced to put in back on the market. A new buyer has still not been found.

Cilla Connor was forced to put her home back on the market

Mrs Connor bought her house in Gwynedd with her husband in 1982, when it was valued at just over �15,000. They had already rented it for four years.

When she was told she could not sell it to the English couple she said: "I feel as though the council is tying me to this house.

"This is a breach of my human rights and I feel as though I'm being forced to live here against my will."

Long-standing tenants have an opportunity to buy their council homes at a discount. For some it is the only way of getting on the property ladder.

The average price of a house in Carmarthenshire is close to �120,000 while the average household income is �22,500.

The council's executive board will introduced the rules with immediate effect at a meeting on Monday.

Executive board member Clive Scourfield said: "We've seen in Carmarthenshire that we will soon be running out of houses in the rural parts of the county that we could give to people who have been living in the area and who wish to stay here.

"In about 20 years there may be no council houses left in these areas.

"During recent years many people have been tempted to sell the houses that they've bought previously from the county council and made a huge profit.

"At the end of the day if we continue to sell then there will be no houses left to sell, also it effects the rural villages and we have a duty to look at this.