HAZEL Blears has been told to pay back £225 for a shelving unit in the probe into MPs' expenses.

The Salford MP was at the centre of the expenses storm - famously writing a cheque for £13,000 to the taxman in lieu of capital gains tax she would have incurred on the sale of her London flat had it been nominated as her second home.

But a review of MPs' expenses by Sir Thomas Legg found the only anomaly in her receipts over the last five years was for shelves bought for her London flat in March 2005.

Ms Blears said she now hoped to be able to put the entire episode behind her.

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The M.E.N can also reveal that David Chaytor has not been asked to make any repayments - despite claiming £13,000 for a mortgage that had already been paid off.

The Bury North MP will not fight the next General Election after he admitted making an `unforgivable error'.

A spokesman said: "Sir Thomas has written to David confirming that he does not require him to supply any further information or make any repayment."

The M.E.N understands Mr Chaytor has been cleared in the audit's draft findings because he is already the subject of a separate investigation with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

He has already said he will pay back the £13,000 in full.

The news came amid growing backbench fury that Sir Thomas was demanding repayment of expenses that were within the rules at the time. Sir Thomas has imposed `after-the-fact' limits on items like cleaning and gardening. Ms Blears' claim for shelves was also within published limits at the time, which have only later been re-set by Sir Thomas. The M.E.N can today reveal four of our region's 32 MPs have been asked to pay back a total of more than £3,000 in the initial findings.

They include:

Former works and pensions secretary James Purnell, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, who has been told to pay back £498.33 in rent. He said the claim was 'accurate and appropriate' and plans to query it, but will pay if necessary.

Ann Coffey, MP for Stockport, who has been ordered to repay £1,840 she spent cleaning her second home.

Graham Brady, MP for Sale and Altrincham, who has been told to pay back £700 towards the cost of a sofa. He said he would query it but would ultimately pay. Health Secretary Andy Burnham, MP for Leigh, has also been asked to clarify issues with his expenses, including bills submitted twice. It is understood they were for relatively small amounts and do not involve cleaning or gardening.

Almost half the region's MPs either refused to comment or failed to respond to requests by the M.E.N to find out the detail in letters sent by Sir Thomas.

They include former education secretary Ruth Kelly, who spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money doing up her home, and Gerald Kaufman, who claimed crystal fruit bowls and a £225 rollerball pen.

The Conservatives disclosed last night that 11 shadow cabinet members had been asked by Sir Thomas to repay a total of more than £17,000 between them .

As reported in yesterday's M.E.N, shadow chancellor George Osborne, MP for Tatton, has been asked to provide information on mortgage statements. It is understood Mr Osborne has not been asked to repay any money.

MPs have three weeks to make representations about letters. The review will then send its final report to the Members Estimate Committee, which will decide whether to publish the findings later this year.

Ms Blears said the £225 bill she had been asked to repay was `apparently above a guideline which did not actually exist at the time'. She added: "Nevertheless I'm paying this to put the matter behind me and to get on with my job working for the people of Salford."

Additional reporting: Katherine Faulkner and Amanda Crook

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