London, December 27 : Brit ministers have come under fire for blowing more than 50 million pounds on their lavish office furnishings - including 750,000 pounds on pot plants.

According to the figures released by 15 major Government departments, nearly half of the amount had been spent by James Purnell's Department for Work and Pensions, over the last three years.

His offices underwent 24 million pound decoration, reports the Sun.

While Geoff Hoon's Transport Department spent 17.5 million pounds on their offices, others ministries, which had declined to make their spending share public, had been estimated to take the final 63 million pound figure.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls, in 2007, had splurged 78,300 pounds on plants while Jack Straw spent almost 27,000 pounds on flora for his Ministry of Justice.

Shadow Treasury chief secretary Philip Hammond said: "It's an insult to families and businesses struggling to make ends meet."

Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "Every penny comes out of the pockets of ordinary people who could hardly afford to do up their own home." (ANI)