KNOWSLEY MP George Howarth said yesterday a broken alarm clock was to blame for claims for wake- up calls at £5 each.

Mr Howarth said he had “no idea” how much the BT service cost until he received a bill of £35 for seven early morning calls.

He said he had used the service in order that he didn’t miss morning committee meetings.

Mr Howarth added: “I had no idea it cost that. My alarm is faulty and it was for when I had early morning committees to attend. Once I found out how much it was, I’m not doing it any more.”

His expenses show the taxpayer bore the cost of a £44.93 Breville kettle and £32.29 for an ironing board after his cleaner sent him a note telling him to buy a new one because the old one “can’t be used any more”.

He also claimed the £40 cost of fixing his heating and vacuum cleaner.

But Mr Howarth defended his expenses claims record, arguing he had always been a “modest” claimant.

In total, he claimed just £9,232.36, the lowest total of any Merseyside MP.

He added this year’s expenses scandal had “not altered his behaviour.”

“My claims were always fairly modest anyway, fairly low to begin with,” he said.

Knowsley South MP Eddie O’Hara made the biggest single claim of any Merseyside MP for £10,500 worth of roof repairs to his second home.