Jobs could be at risk at the innovative Gloucestershire business behind the proposed £1.3 billion tidal lagoon power scheme planned off the UK's coast.

Tidal Lagoon Power, headquartered at Gloucester Quays and run by Stroud businessman Mark Shorrock, has been waiting patiently for 15 months for a Government decision ever since an independent report gave the thumbs-up for its Swansea Bay scheme.

Charles Hendry's report, published in January 2017, urged the Government to go ahead with the project to build the tidal lagoon which is widely backed in Wales and seen as a major source of future jobs - and which could provide power for 120,000 homes if plans are realised.

Investors in Tidal Lagoon Power are already on record saying they will not put any more money into the business until there is a decision. A second bigger scheme, further up the coast near Cardiff, is also expected to follow and lead to a multi-billion pound industry at the heart of which would be Tidal Lagoon Power.

A report on The Guardian website claims any further delay by Government will force the company to lay off staff, but the firm told Punchline it did not know the source of this information.

No new funds are believed to have been put into the business since last summer.

"The business has sufficient funds to take it through to a decision and the trigger of our next funding round. We understand that the talks between the UK and Welsh governments have been positive and we look forward to their conclusion," said a spokesperson.

Pressure has been mounting on the Government with a concerted campaign from January this year in Wales.

The latest voice to ratchet up the pressure is the union Prospect which has called on the Government to take what it called a "golden share" in the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon to make it a reality.

It said "a new model for financing major energy infrastructure is urgently needed".

Sue Ferns, Prospect senior deputy general secretary said: "Even with the rapid growth in renewable technology, there is an urgent need to replace capacity that is due to be switched off over the next 15 years.

"If Government fails to act there could be serious consequences as soon as the mid-2020s. In a perfect storm it is conceivable that there could be energy shortages and missed carbon targets, if the failure to invest leads to a lack of resilience in the system.

"The Treasury has a direct role in ending delays around major infrastructure and in helping to kickstart new projects, such as the tidal lagoon and new build nuclear, to guarantee low carbon energy supply. Otherwise the UK will miss its climate targets and be reliant on imported gas and electricity from Europe, exposing us to supply risks post-Brexit."

Prospect has written to Welsh minister Ken Skates AM, as well as the Chancellor and BEIS Secretary, urging the Government to take a new approach to the financing and management of projects, either through taking a direct stake or offering financial guarantees to reduce the cost of finance.

It is thought some senior members of Theresa May's Government think the £1.3bn project does not represent value for money.

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