This weeks South London Press reports Lewisham West MP Jim Dowd has claimed the maximum petty cash for each year since 2004.

MPs used to have a monthly ?250 petty allowance under which claims could be made without having to provide receipts.

Mr. Dowd is said to have been the only South London MP to have claimed the maximum petty cash, totalling ?12k over four years.

The local MP told the South London Press, "It's more complicated to attach every receipt for cleaning, stationary, stationary, office bits and pieces and so on, so I used the petty cash allowance."