THE Prince of Wales came under renewed fire last night for writing letters to ministers - despite efforts by his office to defend the habit as "part of his role".

Charles's private correspondence amounted to political interference, said critics, but St James's Palace insisted it was right and proper for him to take an active interest in British life.

The heir to the throne has been accused of bombarding members of the Government - including the Prime Minister - with complaints ranging from the situation in the countryside to his loathing of political correctness.

In a move that could trigger a war of words with Whitehall, the palace attacked unnamed sources who were leaking the prince's letters.

Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Lord Chancellor - both recipients of letters from the prince - were said to welcome his interventions.

But as left-wing MPs told Charles to consider standing for election if he wanted to be involved in politics, constitutional experts said there was no bar on him writing his letters.

Charles is also said to have remarked in a private discussion with a minister that he would feel like leaving the country and spending the rest of his life skiing if hunting was banned.

Meanwhile, farmers in the North-East have backed Charles's stance in the wake of his leaked correspondence about the plight of the countryside.

It was announced yesterday that the prince is to visit the Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Service (Utass) in Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, on October 24.

The centre offers advice and support to more than 350 Teesdale farming families, and during the foot-and-mouth crisis it handled more than 35,000 inquiries.

Last night, Utass trustee Alan Scott, 61, said: "I fully support what Prince Charles has said and I hope he continues to speak out about countryside issues.

"I think it is appalling that suits in Whitehall can tell us what we can and can't do, such as hunting.

"We are a minority, but we don't get any support, and I back the prince all the way."

Cattle and sheep farmer John Stobart, who farms in Middleton-in-Teesdale, also supports the prince's stance.

He said: "I think Prince Charles is right to stand up and make his feelings known, and I'm glad he's coming to Middleton-in-Teesdale to meet farmers and the community."

The prince is due to visit Ripon and Selby, in North Yorkshire, later in the day.

A spokeswoman for Charles said: "The Prince of Wales takes an active interest in all aspects of British life and believes that part of his role must be to highlight problems and represent views in danger of not being heard.

"But this role can only be fulfilled properly if complete confidentiality is maintained."

The development was immediately ridiculed by some MPs. Ian Davidson, MP for Glasgow Pollock said: "Let's not kid ourselves that Prince Charles is a representative of ordinary people. This is someone who was born with a mouthful of silver spoons, a mega-wealthy farmer who's looking for things to do, so he fires off letters."

Labour left-winger Dennis Skinner said: "In my opinion, he has just developed this letter-writing on a grand scale since the Labour Government got in. I want to know whether he wrote protest letters to Thatcher about the poll tax. Where was the prince during the great pit strike when families were starving?"