A MAN died after falling into a brook on a Newport housing estate from a path which residents say has been eroding for a long time.

William 'Billy' Bevan, 64, who lived alone at Ribble Walk, Bettws, left the Bettws Social Club, where he was a regular, at around 8pm on Friday.

He is believed to have taken his usual route home along the unlit, black-ash path next to the brook.

According to fellow residents, Mr Bevan, a divorced father, suffered from back problems and walked with the aid of a stick.

The unlit path leads from the shops and pubs of the Bettws estate to the residential areas, but a hole in the side of the path slopes into the deepest part of the brook.

Residents on the estate discovered the body on Saturday morning. Edna Evans, 71, of Wye Crescent, was among the first at the scene.

She said: "When the policeman arrived he tried to resuscitate him but unfortunately it was a wasted effort.

"There's no lighting along here so it's pitch black at night. This part has been eroding for a long long time, and the only rails that are here were put up 40 years ago when the place was built. It's a sad way to end."

The cause of death is not yet known, but a post-mortem examination was due to take place today.

Paul Mahoney, 55, of Trent Road, Bettws, said he had fallen down the bank on a previous occasion. "One night I was coming down through there in the dark and I fell down, ripped my trousers, and cut my knee open.

Newport council put up a temporary fence across the hole on Saturday afternoon. Councillor Noel Trigg said: "The bank has been eroding all along the brook, and where the path was two or three feet away a couple of years ago there is now a sheer drop."

Inspector Alan Webber, of Gwent police, said: "The death appears to have resulted from a tragic accident. Our thoughts are very much with Mr Bevan's family at this time."