CALDICOT Rugby Club has been landed with a £600 bill after Monmouthshire Council failed to charge it rent for over six years.

Caldicot RFC were recently granted permission from MCC to have the fence from Green Lane School transferred to its site to use as a boundary fence. The club was given £2,000 from MCC to assist in the transfer along with the club securing further grant funding from other sources.

However, following the transfer, the existing lease needed to be amended in order to take in the boundary change and this resulted in the council's estates department noticing it had failed to include rental charges from the club.

Caldicot RFC Treasurer, Ian Shuttlecock, attended last week's Severnside meeting to provide an update on the fence transfer. He told the meeting that although he was extremely happy with the transfer, which he said "Is almost 50 per cent complete", he was shocked to have been informed by MCC the club must pay £600 in backdated rent.

Speaking to the Free Press following the meeting he said: "Obviously I am very pleased MCC has supported us in getting the fence but I think it's somewhat unfair they are now saying we owe them money.

MCC's Recreation Officer, Tim Bradfield, said: "Due to an oversight no rent has been collected since the rugby club took possession of the premises in 1973 so both parties have agreed that a sum of £600 - six year's backdated rent - will be paid by the rugby club to the council.

"The council has arranged that the repayment of rent can take place over a period of time so that the club is not placed under financial pressure. We look forward to working with Caldicot RFC in the future."

lia.hind@gwent-wales.co.uk