ABERYSTWYTH’S controversial labyrinth is costing taxpayers more than £2,500 a year to maintain.

Built in 2013 using 720 wooden posts linked by a mile of rope, the labyrinth, which cost £6,000 to build and has previously been labelled “horrendous” and “weird” by residents and visitors, has divided opinion.

The Cambrian News can reveal this week that in the previous financial year, Aberystwyth Town Council made two payments totalling £2,580 to the Care Society, an Aberystwyth-based charity, for maintenance works at the rarely used facility.

Shortly after the labyrinth opened, it was decided that the area would be locked at night after it emerged naked revellers had been running around, swearing and causing disruption to residents.

Last year, the town council banned dogs from the area after reports of dogs “jumping on children” and problems with dog fouling.

Cllr Talat Chaudhri said: “The labyrinth was created to resolve a social problem in the misuse of that piece of land, which was creating an eyesore, and to provide a new attraction. It inevitably needs maintenance and, when nearby trees fell in winter winds last year, it required additional intervention.

“I am not seeing sufficient usage of the labyrinth and there is a dog fouling issue caused by irresponsible owners that we are doing our best to prevent but, sadly, signs do not stop this and we have no legal powers in prosecuting fouling.

“I think we need to look carefully at how the labyrinth is being used, what the local residents want and what the town needs.

“There is, for example, no playground in North Ward."

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