EXPENSES for Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing's election campaign show that she stuck to the rules, despite outspending her closest rivals by far.

The Tory MP was criticised during Parliament's expenses scandal last year for avoiding £180,000 of capital gains tax by declaring her second home as her main residence and there were calls for her to resign.

But her election expense returns, which have been seen by The Guardian, show that spending on her campaign in the four weeks leading up to the polls was £2,500 short of the £12,170 limit.

She also kept to the rules in the longer, four-month period between January and April, when she spent £1,204 - mainly on pushing leaflets through the doors of potential voters.

Her expenses included a receipt for £164 for special delivery by the Post Office, labelled “Thornwood gypsy letter”, relating to the formal consultation on gypsy and traveller sites in the district, including one proposed for Thornwood, which was dropped by the Government last month.

Her overall campaign cost £10,873 - nearly three times that of her closest rival, Liberal Democrat Ann Haigh, whose total was £3,668. Just £915 was spent on Labour candidate Katie Curtis' campaign.

Aside from the Conservative party, the only donation to the campaign was from Metloc Printers, of Loughton, which waived an invoice of £864.20 for printing and sending a survey to residents in Theydon Bois.