Pensioners fighting Bradford Council over the large bills they face towards the cost of replacing neighbours' windows have vowed to continue the battle.

They spoke out after the Telegraph & Argus revealed that four Bingley widows had won their long-running campaign not to pay bills of £500 each for windows being fitted in neighbouring council flats.

Councillor Jim O'Neill, chairman of the Council's housing and environmental protection committee, decided to waive the charges after taking independent legal advice and admitting the situation was a legal minefield.

But he said only about ten to 15 leaseholders would be guaranteed similar treatment, mainly those whose leases pre-dated 1996.

Anyone else who was unsure of how they stood should contact a special team set up to deal with queries.

June Sherwin, 60, of St John's Court, Baildon, who has helped to organise a 500-name petition protesting about their treatment, said she was delighted for the women whose charges had been waived.

She said: "It shows it was worth fighting, and we will carry on too. We have no choice.

"Everybody I talk to says they can't believe me when I tell them what is going on. People just look at me with their mouths open. It's just ridiculous.

"But I'm not going to pay. I will be writing to find out where I stand."

She paid £1,200 for windows in February last year and now faces a potential bill of £1,000 for work to neighbouring council properties, as do several of her neighbours, including 87-year-old cancer patient Mollie Cooper.

And in Crossflatts, Michelle Harrison, 26, and partner Matthew Rawnsley, of Aiden Square, have been left wondering if the Council will now be pursuing them over a demand for £1,377 despite fitting double-glazing in 1997. She said: "I am really pleased that they don't have to pay although I am still worried about us, obviously.

"It has dragged on, it's so bureaucratic to take such a long time to sort the problem out."

Coun O'Neill explained that difficulties hinged on whether window replacements could be classified as repairs or improvements in the terms of the lease.

He said: "I am delighted for these ladies. The leases were written in such a way as to be ambiguous and open to legal interpretation, halfway between a repair and an improvement.

"The independent advice threw doubt on it and I was not prepared to take that gamble."

Coun O'Neille said that forthcoming Government legislation would help to clarify the position by putting a cap on the amount of money that could be charged and also convert leaseholders to freeholders.

Matters would also be made clear about what was an improvement and what was classed as a repair.

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