RESIDENTS living on a Newport estate will not be recharged for council maintenance costs on their private sewer system, the city council decided.

The issue of who owns and should pay for the upkeep of Bettws sewers has been an ongoing issue since council houses were built in the 1960s, because the sewer network was never "adopted" by the water authority.

The council’s housing department took responsibility for it and the authority covered maintenance costs because most of the houses were occupied by council tenants.

But the condition of the system has continued to deteriorated and in 2007 the Welsh Government announced that Welsh Water would adopt all private sewers over the next few years.

The cost of maintaining and repairing the Bettws sewers since 2006 has totalled more than £137,000 so last year the authority’s overview and scrutiny forum began an investigation looking at whether it should recharge residents for the costs.

But following consultation with neighbours, councillors, Welsh Water and council officers, members decided it would take no action to claim back the money in anticipation that Welsh Water will take over the system in October.

They said the administrative costs of recharging residents would be costly and may result in some people, who already pay rates to Welsh Water, paying twice.

But a report to councillors warned the situation would be reviewed if the adoption did not take place this autumn.

Malpas councillor Bill Langsford said the take over by Welsh Water would bring and end to an issue, which had been a bone of contention for residents for the past 50 years.