Duck islands sunk by expenses row

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The designer of the "duck island" caught up in the MPs' expenses row has said the ongoing whiff of scandal could force him out of business.

Tory MP Sir Peter Viggers is retiring at the next election, following the revelation that he tried to pay for the garden folly with Commons allowances.

Ivor Ingall, who designed the duck island, said the product's reputation had been "tarred" by the episode.

It had become "the icon of the bad guys", he told the BBC.

Sir Peter, the MP for Gosport, claimed £1,645 for a floating Stockholm duck island - used to prevent foxes from feasting on waterfowl who are at rest.

Dwindling sales

The claim was refused by the Commons allowances office, but became emblematic of the whole expenses saga.

After The Daily Telegraph revealed the duck island claim, Tory leader David Cameron warned Sir Peter that, if he did not stand down at the next election, he would lose the party whip. Sir Peter agreed to leave the Commons.

People are not ordering the garden follies that I produce quite like they were Ivor Ingall, duck island designer

Mr Ingall says the publicity has harmed his business and that sales of all his duck houses have dwindled from 15 in 2007 to two in 2009.

He told BBC Radio 4's PM: "The trouble is that my duck island has really become the icon of the bad guys.

"An example of this is the Telegraph front page on 25 September where, on the right-hand side of the page, there was the Army on Afghanistan short of equipment: body armour helicopters and the like.

"On the left was my poor Stockholm duck house representing the greedy MPs of Westminster and their expenses scandal. And we've got rather tarred with the same brush."

He added: "It's quite extraordinary. They say everybody has 15 minutes of glory. I've had rather more, but not quite the glory I would like."

Mr Ingall has also designed a chicken house in the shape of a Scottish baronial castle, a bird table modelled on the Parthenon in Athens and a garden shed in the likeness of a tent used during the crusades.

He said: "People are not ordering the garden follies that I produce quite like they were."

'Charming man'

The Stockholm duck house, with its hand-cut roof tiles a prominent feature and modelled on an 18th century Swedish building, has risen in price to £2,585 since Sir Peter purchased his in 2006.

Mr Ingall does not hold any grudge against the MP for making the expenses claim, describing him as "a very charming man".

He said: "It wasn't a wilful mistake. I think he did it rather tongue-in-cheek, but he shouldn't have done and indeed the people organising the expenses refused his claim. It wasn't paid. So it wasn't the taxpayer paying for the duck house.

"I think it will all straighten itself out eventually and the comment that all publicity is good publicity will probably prevail."