THE roof of an historic building in Newtown has collapsed this morning (Monday).

Residents reported hearing a loud bang as the roof of the Bethel Chapel in New Road collapsed.

Firefighters were called to help the team assessing the situation and the the road has been blocked off between the KFC and the Baptist Church. The road remained closed into Monday evening.

County Times: The Bethel Chapel which has been closed offThe Bethel Chapel which has been closed off

Kirsty Tudor, who was working in in the nearby Elizabeth Hair Stylist salon when the roof collapsed, said the incident happened at about 10.50am.

"I heard a loud bang, a rumble. I thought it was an aeroplane at first, and then saw that the church roof had collapsed.

"Something should have been done about it. Powys County Council need a kick up the backside, everybody could see how dangerous it is."

Liz Hughes, who runs the salon, added: "It was one hell of a bang, there was dust settling everywhere.

"There was a really loud rumble." 

A spokesperson for Dyfed Powys Police confirmed that they were on the scene, and had closed the road, but they were unable to give any indication of when it would re-open.

The County Times understands that nobody was thought to have been inside at the time, but this has yet to be confirmed.

Powys County Council said they were urging people to stay away from the area.

"Officers from the county council’s building control service have met with emergency services at the site and are due to meet with the building’s owner to discuss future actions," said a spokesperson.

"The site has been cordoned off and we advise residents to stay away from the area. The council’s priority is public safety."

It comes just three weeks after Newtown Town Council asked for action to be taken so it would not pose a risk to the public.

But the request was turned down by Powys County Council.

At that time Newtown councillors recommended to write to PCC's lead planning professional officer Peter Morris asking that action would be taken.

County Times: Firefighters are at the sceneFirefighters are at the scene

The building has stood in New Road since 1875 but has deteriorated into a poor state of repair.

It was sold in 2008.

Internal water damage has caused a number of the wooden floorboards to disintegrate throughout the building, and a section of the upper balcony has collapsed under its own weight since a number of slates have fallen off the roof causing the roof above to decay rapidly.