NATIONAL Park chiefs have confirmed they will go to court to try to force a disgraced former chairman to hand over £2,500 in expenses he should never have claimed.

Robert Heseltine was a senior member of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and a respected member of the community. He also served on the county council, the Environment Agency and on the North Yorkshire Valuation Tribunal.

He was prosecuted last June on 12 charges of false accounting after a police investigation revealed he had fiddled his travel costs and claimed for lost earnings when he did not have a job.

He pleaded guilty and asked for another 11 offences to be taken into consideration.

However, he has yet to repay £2,500 wrongfully claimed from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority between April, 1997, and March, 1999.

A statement issued last week by the organisation confirmed that it would be pursuing the matter through the small claims court.

John Blackie, who chairs the authority's audit and review committee, said: "It is unfortunate that this matter is still outstanding. Mr Heseltine has been given every opportunity to bring it to a conclusion but, thus far, not a single penny has been paid back to the authority.

"It is our duty as a responsible public body to ensure that this money is recovered."