A North Cabinet minister has dismissed as "absurd" suggestions his innovative web-blog is costing taxpayers almost £40,000 a year.

Environment Secretary and South Shields MP David Miliband yesterday hit out at claims by the Liberal Democrats that his daily internet chat is costing £1 a word saying it was "completely ridiculous".

The blog is the first of its kind in Government, not least because Mr Miliband personally writes messages about his work, the environmental agenda and his political interests.

One of his latest postings concerned the renewable energy centre in Blyth where the first wind turbine with a 40m blade was being tested. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think the windmills look great," he said.

However, his special adviser last night hit back at claims by Lib Dem frontbench spokesman Chris Huhne that the site - www.davidmiliband.defra. gov.uk - had cost in the region of £40,000. "It's absurd, it's completely ridiculous," she said.

When the blog - first devised when Mr Miliband was Communities Minister - was moved from the remit of Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, about £2,000 was spent on rebranding and changing to a new server, she said.

"We are trying to bed down the ongoing administration costs as we speak but we know that they are going to be less than 10% of an existing junior civil servant's time. It's nothing like £40,000. This speculation is pure silliness and completely unrealistic."

Mr Huhne said he came to the figure after tabling Parliamentary questions on the manpower involved in maintaining the site. He was told two members of staff employed by Defra had recently dedicated as much as 40% of their office time working on it.

The failed leadership contender said that would mean the blog cost around £1 a word to upkeep. "How can it cost £40,000 a year of taxpayers' money for staff to capture David Miliband's hot air on climate change?"