The 600-year-old Canolfan Owain Glyndŵr has suffered damage to its toilets since the Machynlleth public toilets closed one year ago.

The 1400s Parliament House locally known as the OGI has had to close one of its two toilets after a toilet basin cracked due to overuse after the only public toilet block in Machynlleth closed last January due to repeated vandalism.

The OGI said it has no funds to fix the toilet whilst their costs have gone up to maintain them.

Ifan Edwards, caretaker and committee member to the OGI said: "We definitely saw an increase in people using the toilets after the public ones closed.

"Especially on market day and over the summer people come in just to use them, it's tricky as it does mean it's increased our costs as we've had to have the drains cleared more often.

"It's an old building, the drains are old and not really set up for the amount of people now using them.

"It was an old toilet but we've had to close it so we're down to just one now and haven't got the funds to fix it."

This comes as the stalemate continues between Machynlleth Town Council and Powys County Council about whose responsibility it is to fix the vandalised toilets.

Machynlleth Town Council closed the toilets last January in an attempt to reduce costs associated with continued repairs.

Installing new metal doors to secure the toilets against further vandalism could cost up to £25,000, money the cash-strapped town council doesn't have.

Though the maintenance of the toilet block in Maengwyn car park off the high street has long been the town council's responsibility, the block is actually owned by Powys County Council.

A spokesperson for the County Council said: "The town council has handed the building back to the county council. The county council has undertaken works to secure the building and protect it from incidents of vandalism. "Until external funding has been secured by the town council, the toilets will remain closed." The spokesperson went on to state that town councils can often access grants that county councils cannot, but that the county council would support any funding application made by the town council.

This comes as Powys County Council announced a 7.5 per cent council tax increase for the coming year.

There has been no news as to whether the town council has obtained any grant funding, but the silence on the matter suggests not.

However contradicting the county council, county councillor Michael Williams said: "We are looking but haven't yet been successful at finding funding to make the toilets vandal-proof by installing metal doors, steel urinals, sinks, and whathaveyou.

"We haven't abandoned the idea of opening the toilets, as we do need the public facility for the historic town.

"The county council said ages ago they would no longer run public toilets, and the town took over that responsibility.

"But putting the cost of the repairs on the town council would cripple them."

Whilst the two councils jostle for who should be the one to foot the bill, locals worry lack of public toilets will reduce visitor footfall, whilst businesses including the OGI have complained of having to shoulder the burden of providing public access to their private facilities in the meantime.

Kim Bryan, a Machynlleth Town Labour Councillor said: “Machynlleth is a thriving market town, welcoming 100’s of visitors a year and is a stop-off point for people travelling across Wales.

"In addition, clean, safe, accessible toilets are essential to supporting the needs of groups with needs who would otherwise feel unable to go out without the assurance of access to public toilets.

"As a local council, we are also aware of the costs of not providing public toilets, such as the need to clean up street fouling.

"We are grateful for all of those who have supported the council on this issue and the local businesses and Machynlleth Library who have made available their facilities until this situation is resolved.” She added: "Reopening Machynlleth public toilets remains a high priority for the council.

"We are working alongside Powys County Council to find a way forward from the current situation so that our toilets are reopened as soon as possible."

Machynlleth Mayor Jeremy Paige said: "I have no comment to make on this matter other than to say that we have allocated a budget to run the toilets if that becomes possible and we will continue to pursue all avenues to help that happen.

" It needs to be said again that the county council own the building and the land it sits on, we have no responsibility towards [the toilets]. The Town Council continues to provide public access toilets at Y Plas as do other venues across the town."

The vandalism against the toilets is rumoured to be the work of young people, however a director of the new Machynlleth Youth Club stated that arbitrarily blaming youth is not the way forward.

Co-founder of the CIC Sarah Wilson said: "Sometimes we know whose responsible for causing damage in the town, but when we don't young people are quite often the first group to be blamed.

"Research indicates that when we label groups in this way we quite often cause the behaviour that we're trying to discourage.

"Making things inaccessible to young people does not improve their behaviour."