A RETIRED Newport resident who endured months of agony and stress trying to locate the source of a mysterious £89 debt handed to him by Newport Housing Trust has finally been told he is in the clear.

John Milichamp 67, discovered the charge on a bill in July last year but his calls and meetings with housing officers seemed only to confuse him even more as he was told he had no debt to pay.

"No-one seemed to know where this charge had come from," he said.

Despite verbal reassurances from housing officers that he would not be pursued for the arrears, Mr Milichamp still feared the debt the would show on his records.

"It is shown on my account as £89 and that I am in arrears," he said.

He finally received a letter from Newport Housing Trust in November confirming that he would not be pursued for the money - but was told the charge would still appear on his account.

In his efforts to try and find the cause of the charge, Mr Milichamp sought the advice of Newport City Councillor Matthew Evans.

"Mr Milichamp has now received word from Newport Housing Trust that he does not owe them any money - but it has taken far too long," Councillor Evans said.

Phil Toms, Director at Newport Housing Trust explained that the charge dated back to 2001, before Mr Milichamp had moved into the property, and the Trust had only found the cause last month.

He confirmed that Newport Housing would seek no money from Mr Milichamp and that he had no debt to pay.

But he could not give a date for when the charge would be wiped from his account.