Council cleaning support will be present for this weekend's Machynlleth Comedy Festival despite local concerns.

As the town quadruples in size for the annual festivities, residents have been concerned about a rumoured absence of council cleaning services to keep the town spick and span.

However Powys County Council has confirmed that despite the rumours and the regular street cleaner being on leave, a street cleaner will be working across the bank holiday weekend to support the biggest weekend in the town’s calendar.

A fuss was made after business owner David Hennighan of Hennighan’s Fish and Chips sounded the alarm that there would be no town cleaner, branding it as “extremely concerning” and calling for residents to email the council.

A spokesperson from Powys County Council has since confirmed this is not the case: “We’d like to reassure everyone that although the usual street cleaner is on leave, cover has been arranged and a street cleaner will be working in the town this bank holiday weekend.

“We recognise the extra activity the festival brings to our town and would like to thank residents, businesses, and visitors for working together to help keep Machynlleth clean, welcoming, and enjoyable for everyone.”

The issue was raised in this week's Town Council meeting, after the street bins were left overflowing the weekend before the festival.

County Councillor Alwyn Evans described it as “worrying” as something that happens “far too often”, with local businesses left to tidy the mess around public bins: “There’s going to be an awful lot of people in town, we can’t have this happening again.

“The bins outside the top chippie looked awful.”

Town mayor Jeremy Paige called for a complete “rethink” of the positioning of public bins: “Half of the bins in this town don’t have a thing in them because of where they’re placed.”