A HAMPSHIRE MP claimed £30,000 of taxpayer-funded expenses on a massive gardening bill – including £1,645 on a floating duck island for his pond, it has been revealed.

Sir Peter Viggers, who has represented Gosport since 1974, is to stand down at the next general election at the direct request of David Cameron.

The Conservative party leader was reported to be “absolutely furious” about Sir Peter’s expenses and presented him with an ultimatum: do not stand again or be stripped of the party whip.

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Now the Conservative party’s scrutiny panel will decide how much the 71-year-old married father of three should pay back with early estimates suggesting it could be more than £10,000.

The former minister, who lists gardening as one of his hobbies on his official website, joins fellow Tory MPs Douglas Hogg and Anthony Steen who are all leaving Westminster over similar claims.

The MP, who is currently on a taxpayer-funded trip to Washington, USA, with the Treasury Select Committee, defended his taxpayer-funded gardening bill.

In a statement, he said: “The claims I made were in accordance with the rules at the time, and were all approved by the fees office. Since then the situation has completely changed and we must all take account of that.

“As with all other Conservative MPs, my expenses are being examined by David Cameron’s scrutiny panel and I await any recommendations they may make.

“I am pleased that the committee, chaired by Sir Christopher Kelly, is carrying out a fundamental review and I look forward to its report.”

Sir Peter is the latest Hampshire MP to be exposed for claiming thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on non-essential items.

Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne, the party’s home affairs spokesman, claimed £119 for a trouser press – which he since paid back He also claimed for fluffy dusters, milk, lavatory rolls and chocolate HobNobs and the upkeep of his “pergola cross beam.”

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And Julian Lewis, Conservative MP for New Forest East, claimed more than £85,000 to cover the cost of running his second home over a four-year period – and has said he will not pay back a penny.

His successful claims for upgrading his London flat included £352 in legal fees for settling a dispute over unpaid service charges, £119 for a wall-mounted trouser press, £5 for a “sweater tidy”, £4 for wax polish, £45 for a shower curtain, £98 for two bedroom rugs, £2,369 for kitchen appliances and £346 for installing new bathroom taps.