Residents at a North Wales park homes site owned by tax exile Alfie Best have won a lengthy battle over eye-watering bills.

Locals were flushed of up to £68 a month for water in a dispute with park owner Wyldecrest and Welsh Water over who was responsible for massive leaks. Now the charges are set to plummet with Mr Best, (colloquially known as ‘Britain’s Richest Gypsy’)  finally agreeing to fund new pipework which is estimated to cost £200,000.

Construction work is well underway on site at Willow Park in North Wales to the relief of residents association chairman Ken Pierce who said “This has been something that has been disputed for some time but it was only when we had some water meters installed showing the real cost of use was around £15 a month that the message finally sunk in.

“That and the fact Wyldecrest have a new and approachable maintenance director Ed Gummery means we have now got to a situation of having new pipes laid which we hope will prevent further massive leakage.

“It was also puzzling that Welsh Water appeared to wash its hands of leaks amounting to 5m litres a year, so much for their environmental concerns.”

Meanwhile the owners of the 159 homes at Queensferry are continuing to press for water meters to be installed in all houses. Local Flintshire councillor Sam Swash has successfully petitioned the Senedd, the Welsh government, who will discuss the matter in September.

Meanwhile the site remains without a manager after David Sunderland was deemed to be ‘not a fit and proper person’. The right hand man of Monaco-based Mr Best, thought to enjoy a wealth of £775m, has appealed the decision which will be considered by a tribunal.

Harry Turnbull is an experienced journalist based in the north who has held a variety of reporting and editing roles in the media.  Harry also writes a reviews column for the UK’s biggest archive of BBC radio dramas.