A group in Llanwrtyd Wells have been wearing bear disguises as part of a protest to save the wooden statue of a bear outside the former Cambrian Woollen Mill factory on the A483.

Around 50 people met at the former mill at 5pm this evening dressed as teddy bears for the picnic to protest against the giant grizzly bear statue’s removal.

The Welsh Government has said the 10ft tall bear is a distraction to drivers and they will remove it if the owners do not do so voluntarily.

It is believed that the announcement by the Welsh Government followed a crash in which a woman lost control of her car because she thought the statue was a real bear.

Temporary traffic lights have been erected on the stretch of road following the accident at the beginning of May.

Eagle-eyed visitors in the town will have already noticed a couple of giant teddy bears today wearing signs protesting against the traffic lights.

Before the protest Craig Tompkins, 47, who has lived in Llanwrtyd Wells for nearly 15 years, said: "We’ve got about 50 of us dressing up as teddy bears or bringing bear-related things and we’ll be meeting at the Cambrian Woollen Mill factory for a teddy bear’s picnic protest.

"I’ve already been out and about around the shops today dressed as a teddy bear to make our point.

"One person in our group has also attempted to contact the department responsible for the traffic lights and removing the bear, but so far we’ve just had a bit of a runaround."

It is believed that the "iconic" bear statue has stood in Llanwrtyd Wells for between 12 to 15 years.

Cllr Pete James said that local people have been unhappy about the traffic lights as they don't see the need for them.

He said: "The last set of temporary traffic lights, on the Beulah road, were there for five years and local people even had a five-year birthday party for them."

He also claimed the Welsh Government had spent £1 million to maintain the lights for that period of time.

A spokesman for the Welsh Government said its view is that the items on the verge are distracting and so must be removed.

On Monday the spokesman said: "On May 9 this year we became aware that a large sign for the Mill had been knocked down and posed a risk to road users. Temporary signals were erected as mitigation on May 10.

"We have since served notice that, if not removed before Tuesday, June 19, our agents will remove all objects to storage, enabling us to full, and safely, reopen the A483."

The bear is currently still outside the old mill.