THE Chepstow regeneration scheme has been hit by controversy again - the Argus can reveal that officers are fighting to redress a six figure overspend due to delays.

The £1.7 million project was due to finish in November so as not to affect the town's Christmas trade.

But Monmouthshire's cabinet member for resources Graham Down says that the rebuilding of the town centre is now up to four months behind schedule.

The plan originally involved turning the High Street into a one-way road but when the new traffic scheme was introduced in April it caused chaos and left motorists stuck in noisy jams for hours.

The town regeneration group, made up of members of Monmouthshire county council, the town council and some traders, abandoned the system after just one week and returned the town to a two-way system. The delay in building and design that accompanied that reverse, plus further delays while contractors waited for materials to be delivered, sent the cost spiralling over budget.

Now Councillor Down says he is concerned that nobody seems to know by how much.

Councillor Down said: "Officers' briefings revealed that the overspend on Chepstow regeneration is a six figure amount and that we are four months behind schedule - but nobody has been able to tell us more than that.

"Significant delays over the one-way system and a hold-up in material supplies meant the contract was held up.

"We are now trying to get back on track, both cost and time-wise, but to finish the whole town before Christmas for the sake of traders' livelihoods means bringing in extra workers and this will further increase the cost." Officers met contractors on Monday to try to find out how far over budget the scheme is at present.

Councillor Down said: "We've inherited this problem from the previous council and, frankly, nobody knows for sure how much it has cost." Trader Michael Collins owns the Beaufort Deli, which closed when the work began, and the Beaufort Hotel. He said: "The whole scheme has been mismanaged and someone must take the blame.

"The ongoing prospect of Chepstow as a building site is a great concern to those of us who rely on tourists."