WHAT A relief for the residents of a Cwmbran tower block who have learned that they have won their long fight against a massive bill for work carried out on their homes.

It was in 2012 that they were first asked by Bron Afon Community Housing to pay towards hefty bills for repairs and improvements to their property, including sharing a £285,000 bill for the costs of external wall insulation.

Bron Afon was carrying out the work as part of its commitment to upgrading the homes in line with Welsh Assembly standards.

The problem was though that lease holders, who were not tenants of Bron Afon but were residents of the block of flats, felt it unfair that they should face such hefty bills for what what was essentially an improvement and not an essential repair.

And now a tribunal has ruled in their favour. This is a victory for common sense.

To suddenly be faced with bills of between £11,000 and £27,000 each, depending on the size of their flats, was an awful situation for these residents with some fearing they would be put in negative equity.

What is concerning is the sheer length of time it has taken to come to a resolution leaving residents emotionally drained.

But what is equally worrying is that this decision is not binding meaning other groups of residents could find themselves facing a similarly drawn-out fight.