ENFIELD North’s Joan Ryan has been asked to repay nearly £5,000 of mortgage interest claims by the man appointed to investigate MPs' expenses.

The MP, who was asked for monthly mortgage interest statements on her Enfield home from 2004, was told she had over-claimed £5,121.

She has been asked to repay £4,799.

Sir Thomas Legg, who is auditing all MPs' expenses claims, wrote to all MPs advising them whether repayments needed to be made in October and advised Ms Ryan about the repayment late last month.

Ms Ryan said she queried the claim with the House of Commons fees office when it was first submitted.

Ms Ryan claimed back mortgage interest on her Enfield home from January 2004 to September 2008, before changing her designated second home to Kennington.

Between 2006 and 2007, Ms Ryan claimed total expenses of £173,691, a figure which included staffing costs - the third highest amount in Westminster. The following year she dropped to 238th place.

Ms Ryan said the money will be repaid by the end of January.

She said: “I wasn’t sure when I added it up that it was correct. I had already raised it with the fees office because I thought it was an anomaly and they said 'no it’s fine'. They have made a very large number of mistakes.

“Sir Thomas accepted it was an honest mistake and the findings do not reflect on my conduct or motives.”

Ms Ryan says she has not claimed mortgage interest since July and stopped claiming second homes allowance, which comprises mortgage interest and claims for other items such as furnishings, in November.

She said: “I accept the judgement of the publication, I am not going to appeal this. People have been very supportive luckily, but I know the public were very upset about this allowance. I think the MPs appealing just still don’t get it. This is the right system, the public said the old one was wrong.”

Edmonton MP Andy Love has also been asked to pay back £736 in mortgage interest payments while Southgate MP David Burrowes does not claim a second homes allowance.