But that is small beer compared to the £4.5m which the council was being sued for by a one-man waste management consultancy.

As revealed in these columns last month, the claim by Barry Phelps and his firm D & P Management Enterprises Ltd related to the procurement by SBC of an advanced thermal treatment (ATT) plant at Easter Langlee.

Mr Phelps was engaged by the council over three years to broker a contract which was signed off with English company New Earth Solutions in 2011.

His claim related to money he believed he would save the council over the 24-year-operating period of the plant and which, he alleged, he was due under a so-called gain-share arrangement.

The case was due to be heard at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on March 24, but within days of that date being set, councillors met in private and agreed to scrap the contract with NES.

On Friday came confirmation that Mr Phelps had withdrawn his action and a formal notice, absolving the council, had been issued by the court with Mr Phelps agreeing to pay £20,000 towards the £36,416 legal costs incurred by SBC.

SBC chief executive Tracey Logantold the Border Telegraph: “The council disputed this claim in its entirety and argued that no sum was due.

“We have been confident since the claims were submitted nearly four years ago and the court case raised 19 months ago that our stance was the correct one.

“We are obviously pleased that Mr Phelps has, belatedly, agreed that the council’s position could not be challenged.

“We are also pleased our legal fees will be covered at least in part by the claimant.” At the time of going to press yesterday, Mr Phelps could not be contacted to comment on his decision.

Last month he admitted he had already spent £300,000 in pursuit of his claim, had been forced to sell his home and was contemplating a crowdfunding scheme to continue his legal action.