JACK Straw has repaid £600 in expenses after an audit revealed two overpayments.

The Blackburn MP’s 2004 allowances were ‘incorrectly added up’, according to Sir Thomas Legg, who is leading a review of the parliamentary expenses system.

Mr Straw, who has already sent a cheque off to cover the overpayment, said it was unclear whether it was his mistake or the fault of the fees office.

He said: “The irony is that I am actually pretty good at maths.

"If it was me, it was simply added up too quickly.”

Meanwhile, Ribble Valley Conservative MP Nigel Evans has been asked to pay back about £800 in ground rent and service charges for his London second home, which Sir Thomas claimed had been incurred over five years.

Mr Evans said his team were going through his expenses to see how the extra amount had arisen and promised to repay the cash if the error was his.

Other East Lancashire MPs said they had not yet opened the letters left in their West-minster pigeonholes.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope is in Sweden for EU talks, and Kitty Ussher (Burnley) and Janet Anderson (Rossendale and Darwen) said they had not been in London to check.

The letters – which ask for clarifications, request extra payments or say everything is in order – will be sent out by email today.

National reports say many MPs have been angered by the recommendations made by Sir Thomas, who has retrospectively applied limits to the amount they are allowed to claim for cleaning and gardening.

Mr Straw said: “He has done a tough job, which is what the public expected. I think others who may have claimed in good faith will be concerned.

“But there has been understandable public concern about the system.

"I hope this process, which will soon be completed, will put it behind us.”

Mr Evans said: “If we think they have made a mistake we will ask them to look at it again.”