A COURT action against an MP who was accused of failing to pay his bills, was dismissed yesterday.

Builder Peter Robinson claimed Frank Cook, MP for Stockton North, had not paid him in full for completing a £15,986 refurbishment on the MP's London home.

But the case against the MP at Teesside Combined Court, in Middlesbrough, was thrown out.

Judge Peter Cuthbertson ruled that because the official claim supplied by the builder's barrister was for P Robinson, the individual, and not Mr Robinson's company, P Robinson Ltd, it was invalid.

Mr Robinson, 56, from Stockton, told the court that he had known Mr Cook for a number of years and a price of £15,986 had been agreed.

Mr Robinson told the court he and four workers completed the job at Mr Cook's home, in Bermondsey, in two weeks during May 2002, while Mr Cook was in the US with his partner.

He said it had been agreed that Mr Cook would pay the amount in instalments. The MP was to pay £4,000 up front and £4,000 at the end the job, with the rest paid later.

However, the combined total of the first two cheques from Mr Cook came to only £7,365.

Mr Robinson said no other money was ever paid to him.

Mr Cook's defence counsel, Andrew Holmes, said the price of £15,986 was never agreed.

The case eventually came to a halt when Judge Cuthbertson ruled that the claim was invalid after Mr Robinson said the work was done under his company's name.

Mr Robinson faces a bill of £11,369.94 costs as well as a bill of about £6,000 for his own defence team. He said: "I'm very disappointed."

Mr Cook declined to comment yesterday.