Winifred Found, 94, is helped at home in Newport by carers

Union representatives of the care staff met council officials on Tuesday to discuss the dispute, which is over new working conditions.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the two sides said they would hold further talks in the next week.

Many of Newport's 250 carers had threatened to strike in the dispute over working conditions.

The carers have agreed to new shift patterns with the council, but have said they cannot afford to give up overtime payments for working nights and weekends.

They're not like carers, more like family, Winifred Found, 94

the carers are paid �5.88 per hour, with extra payments for weekends and nights, and have been offered a new flat rate of �6.73 per hour, according to the council.

The council has argued that its plans would provide a better and a more flexible service for those who rely on home care. The carers look after a total of 827 people in the Newport area.

The majority of the carers' work is with elderly people, but some younger adults and a small number of children and their families receive help.

'Big changes'

As well as elderly people, those receiving care include those with physical and mental disabilities, with the focus on keeping people within their own homes.

Winifred Found, 94, of Newport, is able to live on her own due to the help she gets from carers who come in to her home twice a day.

She told BBC Wales she valued the help of the staff who visit her home.

"They're wonderful, all of them. They're not like carers, more like family," she added.

Speaking before the meeting on Tuesday, care worker Pat Russell said: "I've seen big changes and it's got worse.

"We're on �5.88 an hour, when there are cleaners on �8 an hour."

A meeting of home carers is scheduled to take place in Newport on Wednesday.