S4C protesters march through Bangor

Around 70 people joined the protest in Bangor

Campaigners have been protesting against UK government's plans to fund S4C from the BBC licence fee.

About 70 people joined a Welsh Language Society march around Bangor, Gwynedd, which ended at a BBC Wales' office.

The protesters are calling for a halt to the plans, saying a new multi-media channel in Welsh is needed.

The BBC said discussions between Department for Culture Media and Sport, BBC and S4C were continuing and it has "no ambitions to take over S4C".

Welsh Language Society chair Bethan Williams said: "By trying to continue with these cuts, the government and the BBC are ignoring the united voice of Wales for a full review of the channel instead.

"The future of the world's only Welsh-language TV channel hangs by a thread, which is a direct threat to the language itself.

"As well as facing enormous cuts, S4C risks being gobbled up by the BBC."

Ms Williams said "no-one knows what the BBC's intentions are for S4C at the moment", and clamed that "ongoing discussions are secretive and undemocratic".

In a statement, the BBC said S4C's funding was reduced as part of last October's Comprehensive Spending Review and ministers considered a new partnership model with the BBC the best way of securing the long term future of the service.

"This proposition was put to the BBC in the context of discussions on a new licence fee settlement.

"The BBC has made clear repeatedly that it has no ambitions to take over S4C," said the statement.

It added that the corporation is "committed to an editorially independent S4C" which attracts revenue from a range of sources, including the licence fee.

Last month, BBC director-general Mark Thompson met members of the Welsh Language Society, independent TV producers and First Minister Carwyn Jones.

In February, about 200 people joined a protest by the society outside BBC Wales' Carmarthen studios.

S4C faces a 25% budget cut by 2015 under funding changes by Chancellor George Osborne.