A millionaire businessman whose roots are firmly entrenched in the Teifi Valley has stepped in to save Llanelli Scarlets from extinction.

Tim Griffiths, who was born and brought up in Newcastle Emlyn, heads the £700m global solutions company William Lee with headquarters in London, and employing 7,000 people in Europe, the United States, Asia and the Pacific.

He has joined the board of the cash-strapped Scarlets - the club is £8m in debt - and injected an unspecified sum of money to keep them afloat until a plan to build 450 houses at Stradey Park is heard by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The club plans to build a 15,000-seater stadium at Pemberton on the outskirts of Llanelli.

Mr Griffiths, aged 46, attended the former Adpar Primary School, which closed in 1989, and was a more than useful footballer with Newcastle Emlyn juniors.

His father Ralph was manager of the town's National Westminster Bank, and his parents now live in the Llanelli area.

He later attended Millfield School and played rugby for England Schools and Universities. He was with London Welsh before injury forced him out of the game in the mid-1980's, and he concentrated on business, founding the William Lee company.

Fiercely proud of his roots the businessman, who lives in London with his wife and two children, said: "This is about the future development of an area that needs the Scarlets at its heart, attracting more investment and encouraging the emergence of new young rugby stars.

"I have carefully and independently verified the business plan for the new stadium, and although this is a different type of investment for me, my advisors have thoroughly evaluated the Scarlets' future plans, both off and on the field," he said.

"I consider it a great privilege to be able to help in this way," he said.

One of the businessman's former school pals Andrew Poppy' James, who runs Gwyn James & Son Builders' Merchants in Adpar, and keeps in touch with Mr Griffiths said: "Tim is a great chap.

"He hasn't forgotten his roots, and says he'll be visiting the Newcastle Emlyn area in the not too distant future. It's great that he has got involved with the Scarlets."