The firm with ambitions of building a billion pound tidal lagoon in Cumbria has cut 17 people from its workforce.

Tidal Lagoon Power, the firm behind the £1bn Swansea Bay marine energy project, was planning to eventually replicate the scheme in West Cumbria.

It has been forced to cut up to 17 jobs from its workforce of almost 100, following a 12-month delay to the scheme.

All but one of the jobs at risk are at the firm's head office in Gloucester.

The delay has been caused because the firm is currently in lengthy negotiations with the Government regarding a subsidy price, which hasn’t yet been agreed.

In June the project received planning permission from the Secretary of State Amber Rudd.

The Swansea Bay project is set to be the first of a fleet of six proposed plants developed along the west coast of the UK, with other projects already planned for Cardiff Bay and West Cumbria. 

Tidal Lagoon Power said in a statement: "Our short-term priority is the construction of the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and the progression of plans at Cardiff and Newport to harness the country's best tidal range resource in the Severn Estuary. 

"Our team needs to align with these objectives and regretfully that involves some redundancies. "Our vision is to provide 8 per cent of the UK's electricity from six tidal lagoons and we have grown quickly so as to take forward these plans. 

"However, our first project is now scheduled to start on site one year later than planned and that inevitably impacts the development of the fleet." 

A spokesman for the Department for Energy and Climate Change said negotiations on the tidal lagoon were ongoing.

The lagoon is a harbour type structure closing off a tidal sea area, incorporating hydro turbines through which the sea moves to generate electricity.

It would bring big benefits to the surrounding area, attracting tourists, and providing a habitat for local wildlife.