A local authority has told the Cambrian News that it has been trying to contact the owners of a derelict Bontddu pub for four years.

The Snowdonia National Park Authority said multiple attempts to contact the owners of The Halfway House have been going on “for some time now”, and told the Cambrian News they have been trying to reach them for “some four years”.

In a previous Cambrian News article, local residents expressed concern over the state of The Halfway House, which has become an ‘eyesore’.

Their concerns led to the launch of a petition, calling for information regarding the future of the building.

In response to community concern, a spokesperson for Snowdonia National Park Authority said: “The park authority has been attempting to establish contact with the current owners of the property for some time now.

“We understand this is of real concern to the community, but unfortunately if and when we do manage to make contact, our powers are still fairly limited in the specific situation with regards to enforcing any changes.”

A local resident, who did not want to be named, said that since the Cambrian News article had been published, the petition had “really taken off” and an online version had been launched alongside a paper copy.

“There is a strong sense of feeling about this situation, not only in Bontddu but with people just driving through,” they said.

“I was surprised at the strength of feeling this petition evoked, even warranting a second ‘tour’ of the village due to people hearing about it.”

The petition has so far accumulated 298 signatures.

Cllr Peredur Jenkins said: “All I can say is it’s a loss of an amenity in the village. It’s difficult to know what one can do about it.

“If it was publicly owned, one could exert pressure on whatever body owned it.

“But because it’s in private hands, one is limited in the action that one can take.”