A £50,000 CHARGE to clear traffic cones for the Tour of Britain cycle race is being renegotiated, Newport council say.

The Argus reported last week how contractors initially asked for £50,000 to prepare the unopened road for the event.

Delays prevented the Southern Distributor Road and new bridge being open to traffic in time for the prestigious race.

So contractors Morgan Vinci asked for extra cash for stoppage time and to sweep the road. They also had to clear traffic cones and replace them.

But Chris Freegard, managing director of Newport council, said: "I cannot say what the final figure will be. There's a complicated pattern of claims and counter-claims in a project like the SDR."

It is believed the cost could be reduced to £28,000.

The council could split any cost with Newport Unlimited, or could negotiate for the charge to be offset against other costs.

Mr Freegard said: "The real issue is that the Tour was a success for Newport. It was a great race, we've had very positive views from those who attended. We are building Newport as a centre for sporting excellence."

The Tour of Britain returned after a five-year absence and attracted some of the best cyclists in the world.

The council worked closely with Newport Unlimited to bring stage four of the race to Newport on Saturday - and to ensure it will return.

Graham Moore, managing director of Newport Unlimited, said: "When the race was planned it was expected the road would be open.

"Under the circumstances a payment is due. We will look to recover that through negotiations between the council and the contractor."

Mr Moore said the likely outcome would be "significantly less" than the £50,000 first quoted by Councillor Ron Jones, cabinet member for transport.

The full opening of the £55m SDR has been put back until the third week in September because of work needed on barriers and lighting.