DARWEN and Rossendale's MP says he plans to ditch his mobile phone contract after critics highlighted his ‘huge’ monthly bills.

Jake Berry admitted his phone had proved ‘unbelievably expensive’ generating monthly invoices for £296.36 and £449.40 in September and October.

A Labour councillor who highlighted the Parliamentary expense said the Conservative MP was ‘very cheeky’ to claim such large amounts and called on him to make a personal contribution.

Mr Berry, who was elected to the Rossendale and Darwen seat last year, said the high charges had come when he had been dealing with constituency business while overseas.

He said: “I went away with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Nairobi and had a constituent in crisis.

They were being made homeless and were ringing me for about 45 minutes a day.

“I had the biggest shock of my life when I came back and saw the unbelievably high bill.”

The most recent expen-ses figures, published last week, show a charge in January for £93.64. The MP for neighbouring Blackburn, Labour’s Jack Straw, claims just under £50 a month.

Mr Berry said the bills for his Blackberry were usually “about £80 to £90 a month” and he had selected a high line rental to include as many minutes as possible.

Sunnyhurst councillor Dave Smith said: “He should have chosen more wisely in the first place. I pay £30 a month and it’s difficult to use all my free minutes.

“These bills are unbelievably high and I think he is extremely cheeky claiming for it.

“He should cl-aim for a reasonable amount and pay for anything over what normal costs would be.”