An investigation by a regional daily has led to police reopening a probe into allegations of child cruelty at a former school.

The South Wales Argus carried out a six-month investigation with former pupil David Jeffs into The Mount, a former boarding school for boys in Chepstow.

Last December, the paper handed Gwent Police a list of 11 former pupils who had contacted the paper claiming cruelty at the school while they were there and as a result, police say they are investigating allegations by three new complainants.

A previous allegation made in October 2009 led to a file being presented to the Crown Prosecution Service – but it decided there was not enough evidence to proceed.

A comment piece about the case, written by Argus editor Kevin Ward, said: “Today we can reveal that Gwent Police is to reopen an investigation into allegations of child cruelty at a former boarding school for ‘maladapted’ boys in Chepstow.

“The new probe follows a six-month investigation by the Argus into allegations made by former pupils at the school.

“For victims of abuse, time is no healer. It is never too late to report allegations of abuse or cruelty. Indeed, it often takes many years before victims feel strong enough to report what happened to them to the authorities.

“Thankfully, the police are far more likely to treat such allegations seriously than they were in decades gone by.

“Last December we forwarded to the police a list of 11 former pupils who had contacted us alleging acts of child cruelty at the school. As a result, police say they are looking into three new complaints.”

Mr Jeffs, who attended the school between 1969-1971 began getting in touch with former pupils at The Mount in 2009 and is now in contact with around 30 ex-pupils.

His allegations along with those of other ex-pupils formed the basis of the first investigation.

He said: “It is 40 years on and not a day goes by when I don’t think about my time there. Some questions need to be answered. It needs to be thoroughly investigated and this could open a large can of worms.”

The school was run by the former Monmouthshire County Council, which became Gwent County Council, from the 1960s until 1981 and has now been turned into a block of four apartments.

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: “We have received allegations of child cruelty at The Mount. These have been recorded and inquiries are ongoing.”