A former leader of Essex County Council has been charged with false accounting over allegations of expenses fraud.

Lord Hanningfield was charged today by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which said it was in connection with claims submitted for daily allowance at the House of Lords.

He will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on October 29 2015.

It is alleged that on or about July 30 2013, he submitted claims showing he was entitled to a daily allowance for 11 days of the month when the conditions to do so had not been met.

The peer is "very disappointed" by the decision to prosecute, said his lawyer Daniel Godden.

The allegations cover dates where he spent between 28 and 38 minutes at the House of Lords.

Mr Godden said: "We will be fighting this charge all the way.

"My client is very disappointed that the CPS is pursuing any offence in respect of his claim for expenses.

"He has co-operated with the police inquiry into his expenses and has always maintained that he conducted parliamentary work both prior to, and after, attending the House on the requisite dates in July 2013.

"Any day where he left the House after a short amount of time was linked to his continuing ill health, which was documented in evidence given to the Scotland Yard inquiry."