The seven-arched Bont Fawr in Dolgellau. Pic: Dolgellau.com

The town council says it has repeatedly asked the Environment Agency to clear the river Wnion near Bont Fawr.

The Environment Agency said the work had been delayed until after the fishing season and should be finished by the end of October.

But town councillors say they fear there could be flooding before the work is carried out.

"I'm very worried about the situation," said town councillor Menna Roberts. "We've had floods here before and we don't want anything similar happening again.

"We need the Environment Agency to carry out the work as soon as possible."

A spokesman for the Environment Agency Wales said they were aware that "maintenance work" is needed on the river Wnion to "reduce the risk of flooding in Dolgellau."

The spokesman said: "Conducting the work too soon in the year would have disrupted the river during the fishing season.

Jo Stocks of The Stag Inn said: "We had river water coming up in the toilet and water was running through the pub just before Christmas last year.

"The year before we tried to sandbag it, but that made it worse, so last time we just opened the doors and let the water flow through."

Only part of the pub is flooded each time, so the pub can remain open, and it was not possible to get insurance cover for flood damage.