AS Wales celebrates St David's Day, there are renewed calls for March 1 to be made a bank holiday.

Requests for the patron saint's day to be made a public holiday have been rejected by the UK government, and rules on bank holidays are not a devolved power in Wales.

In Scotland and Ireland, St Andrew’s Day and St Patrick’s Day respectively are already public holidays.

The issue will be discussed again in the Senedd on Wednesday.

“Almost every country on earth has a national holiday, why not Wales?" said Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS.

"We already know the UK only has one of the lowest numbers of public holidays in the developed world at eight, compared to 13 in Germany and Spain, 15 in Sweden and 16 in Japan.

“St David’s Day is the day we all come together to celebrate the huge tapestry of Welsh culture and remember our collective history.

“It is only right therefore that St David’s Day, Wales' national day, is made a public holiday just like St Andrew’s Day in Scotland and St Patrick’s Day in Ireland.

“The UK Government needs to give the Senedd the power to legislate for this to happen, so we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to celebrate who we are and our unique culture which unites us.”

Welsh Conservatives are also calling for a change of heart from political leaders in Westminster.

The party's culture and tourism spokesman in the Senedd, Tom Giffard MS, said a St David's Day holiday had "huge potential economic and cultural benefits".

"People all across Wales should be able to enjoy a bank holiday on St David's Day," he said.

"It would be a wonderful moment for the country to unite and celebrate our heritage and culture.

"People in Scotland and Northern Ireland have a bank holiday to celebrate the patron saints there, so now is the time for Wales to follow suit and have the same for our patron saint."

Meanwhile the UK government has said the current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and "the cost to the economy is considerable."

It added: "The UK government has no current plans to change the accepted arrangements for bank holidays in Wales.

"We remain committed to working together with the Welsh government to ensure that the UK's institutions are working collectively as one United Kingdom."