PROPOSALS for a giant barrage from Somerset to Wales could take a leap forward on Thursday. The debate on plans for a Severn Barrage from Brean Down to Lavernock Point will go before the House of Lords in London.

PROPOSALS for a giant barrage from Somerset to Wales could take a leap forward on Thursday.

The debate on plans for a Severn Barrage from Brean Down to Lavernock Point will go before the House of Lords in London.

Members will discuss the environmental impacts and other options for electricity generation in the Severn Estuary.

Former Welsh Liberal Democrat leader, Lord Livsey of Talgarth, has called the debate to look at the potential impact the 10-mile barrage across the Bristol Channel could cause.

If given the go-ahead, the barrage could provide five per cent of the UK's electricity and is looking more and more likely to be built as the Government seeks to provide a larger percentage of green energy.

The structure, which would stretch from Brean, near Weston, to South Wales, would house turbines driven by estuary tides which would generate electricity. It could also power more than 200 turbines and initial estimates say it could create up to 40,000 permanent jobs.

But other ideas have also been floated, including massive tidal lagoons. Circular walls in the estuary could be built to let water move in and out, turning turbines inside.

The debate is expected to start in the morning, following questions at 11am, and will include representations from Lord Cotter, the former member of parliament for Weston.