Sandra and Michael Howard at their constituency home near Hythe.Between 2004 and 2008, Mr Howard employed The Turned Worm Gardening Company in Hythe and another gardener to work on his property.
Over four years, he received invoices from both which came to a total of £17,351
In 2004-05, Mr Howard claimed £5,092 for "gardening services" – a figure greater than his total annual mortgage interest, utilities bill or council tax for his second home.
The following year he submitted an invoice for "summary of payments made for gardening duties" which was worth £1,783 and another bill from The Turned Worm Gardening Company for £1,617.
Mr Howard, who designated his house in London as his main home, was photographed with his wife Sandra in front of his countryside property, which has woodland
attached, in 2005.
In 2006-07, he submitted two more invoices from The Turned Worm for a total of £4,783.
In May 2007, he included in his additional costs allowance (ACA) a bill for £550 from a fencing company for work at the property.
That same year, Mr Howard submitted two further receipts for "garden maintenance" from The Turned Worm, which were worth £4,076.
Yesterday, the MP for Folkestone and Hythe insisted that not all the work was related to gardening and much of it included the upkeep of his second home, a claim to which he was entitled.
He said: "By no means all the sums claimed were for gardening services. The person who looks after the garden at my second home also maintains the house.
"The claim, therefore, was for general maintenance including the maintenance of the garden.
"I need a second home to perform my duties as a Member of Parliament and the maintenance of that home, including the garden, was a perfectly proper charge against the additional costs allowance."
Steve Hare, who owns The Turned Worm, said he carried out garden and house maintenance for Mr Howard.
"I spend most of my time doing the garden but I also do house maintenance for him," he said.
"If a drain needs unblocking, there is painting or a tree has come down, then they will call me to clear a tree from the drive."
For the month of December 2006, Mr Howard was charged £1,229 for "gardening duties" from an independent gardener and £395 from a gardening company. He passed the
cost of both on to the taxpayer.
Mr Howard said the former included a payment to the gardener as part of the termination of his employment and the latter cost was for general garden and house maintenance.
Mr Howard said that in a recent poll he was ranked the 17th least expensive Conservative and the 31st least expensive MP overall.
He wrote on his website on May 18: "The public are right to be angry about the conduct of those MPs who have abused the system."
SNAPSHOT
MIchael Howard
Job: MP for Folkestone & Hythe
Salary: £64,766
Total second home claims
2004-05: £18,935
2005-06: £21,634
2006-07: £19,283
2007-08: £18,200
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