A GROUP of Ammanford residents have slammed Carmarthenshire County Council for nearly doubling the cost of maintaining their properties.

An original estimate submitted to households in Heol Wallasey by the authority put the cost of the work at £3,600, but lease-holders were staggered to receive invoices for £5,723.10 each.

Homeowner Alan Smith said: “This is outrageous, we were never informed by the council that the repair costs could rise so dramatically.

“For me, the cost has gone-up about 45%.”

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathan Edwards has also hit out and demanded the council stick to its original estimate.

“Based on the information given to me by my constituents, it seems very clear that they were informed of a price they would need to pay, but have since received a bill for two or three times that amount,” he said.

“It’s not unreasonable to expect an estimate to change by a couple of pounds, but in some instances nearly three times the price is simply ridiculous.”

County councillor Deian Harries added: “It’s clear to me that residents should only be expected to pay the price they were originally quoted.”

Carmarthenshire county council’s head of housing, Robin Staines, said: “Major maintenance works were required to the lease-hold properties at Heol Wallasey and consultation was completed in line with lease-hold agreement before work began.

“The estimates provided did not account for the level of damage to the properties, which was not previously anticipated and only discovered during the course of the works.

“We made contact with all households via letter or in person to outline the extra works, and also provided information about a lease-holders tribunal should the residents wish to seek an independent view of the costs.

“Whilst we appreciate that the remedial works and associated costs were more than expected, we have carried out our obligations in line with the lease-holders agreement.”

Residents are to hold a meeting in Ammanford fire station on Friday, September 19, at 6.30pm to discuss the charges.