A councillor said he is disappointed after a family claimed they were told to leave a charity shop for speaking Welsh to a man working behind the till.

Eifion Williams, who moved to Hay-on-Wye from Wrexham, said he was in the town’s Oxfam shop on Saturday morning, March 9, with his six-year-old son and his American wife Pamela when the man told them to stop speaking Welsh and leave.

Mr Williams tweeted on Sunday: “Get out the shop and stop speaking that bloody foreign language” (the man behind the till at Oxfam, Hay-on-Wye, to my family yesterday).”

The Powys County Councillor for Hay, Gareth Ratcliffe, said he was disappointed to hear about the comment from the original tweet which has since received over 1,500 likes, over 1,200 re-tweets and 333 comments – the Facebook post has also received various reacts, shares and comments.

Cllr Ratcliffe said: “I think it’s got to be taken into context and it’s got to be investigated. Welsh is just as important as the English language and it is disappointing to hear somebody has been told that.

“I was disappointed that it was said and that it has been on broadcast on the level. It’s not something I would expect in Hay-on-Way, I am very surprised – Hay is very welcoming of different cultures and languages.

“At the end of the day, an investigation needs to take place and its needs to be considered fairly.”

Oxfam Cymru responded to the father-of-one’s tweet on Sunday in both English and Welsh as well as to Twitter users who had expressed their offence at the comment.

The tweet said: “As you would expect Oxfam welcomes people of all backgrounds and languages. I am really sorry to hear about your experience yesterday. This does not reflect Oxfam’s values. Please leave it with me to follow it up and I will get back to you. Rachel Cable, Head of Oxfam Cymru.”

The charity has since issued a statement to say they are investigating the incident with "utmost urgency” and that it is “very sorry” for the comment made by the man behind the till.

Speaking to The Brecon & Radnor Express, Mr Williams said the man had heard him and his son talking to each other in Welsh before he made the comment.

He said: “It was as my wife was receiving her change, she reacted by saying diolch yn fawr which was followed by the suggestion by him that we should leave the shop.”

The 48-year-old said he didn’t want to give a description of the male staff member and that he is satisfied with the response from Oxfam.

Mr Williams has since tweeted to tell Twitter and Facebook users that he is happy with the response from the Charity.

On Tuesday, March 12 he tweeted: “My family accepts the apology from Oxfam Cymru regarding comments made about the Welsh language in Hay-on-Wye. The crucial thing is that people have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and think differently next time. Let’s help each other and let’s heal this world.”

See the full story in this week’s edition of The Brecon & Radnor Express - on sale now.