A SPEEDBOAT has been filmed racing around the River Usk in Newport over the weekend. 

What appears to be a rubber dinghy was attached onto the back of the boat and slung across the river at high-speed. 

Jacob Canham, who took the video, says he was surprised when he spotted the speedboat.

He said he spotted the activity - normally reserved for the sunny climates of the Mediterranean - at around 9.30am on Sunday morning. 

"It was surprising. Only in Newport would you see something like this.

"I was out on a bike ride, I couldn't make it out exactly but it had some sort of inflatable connected to it."

Mr Canham, who is from Newport, said it was "nice to see the river being used".

"Would be nice if one day the could build a barrage like they planned many years ago."

More than 20 years ago, plans for a barrage across the Usk - despite being supported by many people in Newport if not across Gwent - were turned down.

- You can read our extended feature on the plans here 

It was hoped the barrage would transform the waterfront of Newport, create more than 5,000 jobs and 2,300 new homes as part of a £400 million waterfront park alongside the river.

It would have become the second-biggest development of its kind in Wales, second only to Cardiff Bay.

But the proposals were turned down, owing to the concerns on the impact on fish life.