The well is enclosed in a building in Taffs Well park

Renovation proposals are being drawn up for the Taffs Well spring to help regenerate the area.

The water from an underground spring is thought to have been used as a spa bath as long ago as the Roman period.

The 12 ft (3.6m) deep warm water well was at one time used for bathing because of its healing powers.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council wants to revive the fortunes of the well as a way of attracting investment and tourism to the area.

A series of potential redevelopment schemes will go on show to the public as part of a consultation exercise.

A building was built around the well during the 1800s

It is hoped that the well will become a major visitor draw, as it was in centuries gone by.

Reports say that the well - thought to have Roman masonry attached to it - stood in open fields until it was enclosed during the 1800s.

It was used mainly by local people until word travelled about its mystical healing powers and others made pilgrimages to the village to bathe in the warm water.

However, by the beginning of World War I it had fallen into disrepair and remained so until 1929 when villagers decided to repair it - reopening it in August 1930.

A swimming pool was later built alongside the building that housed the well, utilising its water, but it fell into disuse during the 1950s following a flood.

But the well water's revival powers came into their own once again when used to rescue the village greens from the effect of a drought in 1978. It was then that a campaign was launched to restore it.

Ivor Jenkins, a former councillor for the village, said stories about the well's healing powers included lame people being cured after swimming in the waters.

The well is thought to be around 12 ft deep

"There are stories about people who had to rely on crutches getting into the water and when they got out they didn't need to use the crutches anymore," he said.

"I've been in the well myself - that is where I learned to swim.

"The water is crystal clear and lovely and warm with a slight taste of iron to it.

"It is very similar to the water in Bath and I remember it being very popular. I'm really pleased that there are plans to preserve the well."

A public exhibition will take place on 25 October at Taffs Well Rugby Club where developers will be available to talk to about the proposals.

"Taffs Wells spring has been identified as having the potential to contribute to the regeneration of the village," said councillor Robert Bevan, the cabinet member for economic development.