BOLTON West MP Ruth Kelly last night defended her decision to bill taxpayers for workmen she called in to dismantle a cot, move a table tennis table and jetwash the driveway of her Horwich home.

The catalogue of work, itemised on four years worth of maintenance bills totalling more than £6,380, were published on the Parliament website yesterday as part of the wholesale disclosure of MPs’ allowances.

The heavily censored receipts show Ms Kelly, a former transport and education secretary, made four separate claims of more than £900 for maintenance and service of her second home during the four-year period, from 2004/05 to 2007/08, covered by the disclosure.

But the mother-of-four, who is stepping down at the next General Election, says the smaller tasks, which also included replacing lampshades, putting pads on furniture feet and folding up plastic sheets, were part of a larger programme of work.

She said: “The cost of these tasks, which were performed when workmen were already at the house, would have been negligible. When I am working in Bolton I do not have a spouse or a relative to cut the lawn or carry out these jobs and without having someone in to do them I wouldn’t be able to have a second home.”

Ms Kelly was ranked 614th out of 645 MPs in terms of the costliest, making her expenses claim one of the lowest in Parliament in the 2007/08 financial year.

She said: “I am confident the people of Bolton West will see that I spend taxpayers’ money wisely and that I offer good value.”

Last month, The Bolton News reported that Ms Kelly had submitted receipts for thousands of pounds of luxury fixtures and fittings following flood damage at the house, which she bought with husband Derek Gadd in 2001 for a reported £109,000.

Ms Kelly refused to disclose her expenses and receipts before yesterday’s publication, despite several requests from The Bolton News.

Kevin McKeon, chairman of the Bolton West Constituency Labour Party, who last month ordered Ms Kelly to explain her expenses, was not available for comment.

But a member of the CLP, who did not want to be named, said: “What is happening at national level is doing local politicians no good at all.”

Meanwhile, Bury North MP David Chaytor is back in the spotlight over claims that he paid his daughter Sarah under a different name.

Mr Chaytor has already announced he will stand down at the next General Election over his claim for £13,000 interest on a “phantom mortgage”.

Now the Daily Telegraph alleges he claimed almost £5,000 on his office allowances for research work done by "Sarah Rastrick", whose address and mobile phone number matched those of his daughter.

Bolton’s two other MPs, Dr Brian Iddon and David Crausby’s expenses, revealed nothing out of the ordinary andrew.greaves@theboltonnews.co.uk