Plaid Cymru has defended its European parliament seat, but Labour has maintained its dominant position in Welsh politics.

Results announced on Sunday night put Labour on 32.5 per cent of the votes cast, with the Conservatives in second place on 19.4 per cent.

Plaid trailed in third on 17.4 per cent, and the UK Independence Party took a lower share of the vote than in most other areas at 10.5 per cent.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats also took 10.5 per cent while the Greens took 3.6 per cent.

And the Forward Wales party, formed by John Marek and backed by Ron Davies, took just 1.9 per cent of the vote, trailing behind the BNP's three per cent.

The support means Labour takes two of the four Welsh seats, while Plaid and the Conservatives take one each.

Plaid had previously held two seats in the European parliament, but with the number of Welsh seats being reduced by one as a result of EU enlargement, the nationalists were always set to see their total reduced.

"I am very pleased that Plaid Cymru has retained its seat in the European parliament," said winning candidate Jill Evans.

"This is another strong performance from Plaid Cymru. I will continue to be a distinctive and independent voice in Europe, something New Labour consistently fails to do.

"We are the only party that can be trusted to fight for the best interests of the people of Wales and the values of Wales’ communities.

"Our agenda in Europe comes from a belief that Wales has an important contribution to make on a European and world stage."

Plaid Cymru president Dafydd Iwan added: "I'm delighted that Jill Evans has been re-elected to represent Wales in the European parliament.

"It’s a tribute to her tireless work standing up for Wales in Europe. She is a champion of workers rights, the environment and has fought for the continuation of European funding for Welsh communities.

"Jill also played a leading role in opposing Blair’s illegal war in Iraq.

"This result builds on the hard work by party activists and highlights the steady growth of Plaid Cymru throughout the country."