One of Newfoundland and Labrador's most recognizable landmarks is falling into disrepair.

A Bonavista councillor says the outside of the town's iconic red and white lighthouse is in bad shape.

But John Norman says the inside is worse.

"The floor boards in the tower in a couple of places are actually soft and rotten and these are the floor boards that visitors are walking over and experiencing every day," Norman said.

"And you look up in the dome of the tower and you see black spots where mould is forming."

The councillor says there's also a mould problem in the town's historic Mockbeggar Plantation, the former home of Confederation advocate Gordon Bradley.

Norman says he's also surprised by the way artifacts inside are being stored.

"[Items] I thought would be handled with care and protected in a climate-controlled environment are covered in plastic, including (Bradley's) bed, because of the leaks coming in through the ceiling."

Both sites are run by the Newfoundland and Labrador government's Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, through its Provincial Historic Sites division.

Norman says the government is aware of the situation.