Protesters gathered outside County Hall before the meeting began

More than 250 people signed a petition objecting to 52 new homes in Porthyrhyd claiming an influx of people may dilute spoken Welsh and the village's culture.

The application was recommended for approval at a meeting on Thursday.

But the agency said following a review it believed there was a flood risk, and the meeting was adjourned.

Around 40 protesters had gathered outside County Hall in Carmarthen before the application, by Lovell Homes, was due to be heard.

Initially the Environment Agency said it had no objection to the new homes, but this week wrote to Carmarthenshire Council to say it now believed there was a risk following a review of the flood plains in the Gwendraeth Valley.

The application was adjourned for Lovell to prepare a response and will go ahead at a later date.

Carmarthenshire's head of planning Eifion Bowen said: "It was a very late development indeed - this is the first time the issue of flooding has been raised.

"It's a contentious site although it is allocated for development under the local plan."

'Too large'

The AM for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, and the MP for the constituency, Adam Price, both Plaid Cymru, have also spoken out against the planning application.

Mr Thomas said: "If the Environment Agency has classed this as a flood risk then the development should not go ahead."