ONLINE blogger Jacqui Thompson has been ordered to pay £231,000 in legal costs following her failed libel case against Carmarthenshire county council’s chief executive.

Ms Thompson, from Llanwrda, saw her case – in which she alleged that authority boss Mark James was “running a campaign of harassment”

against her – dismissed in its entirety by London’s High Court in March.

In addition, Mr Justice Tugendhat upheld Mr James’ counter-claim against the 50- year-old mother-of-four after she accused the council chief of corruption. The total figure is understood to be made up of £190,000 to meet the council’s defence costs in terms of the libel claim and £41,000 to cover the expense of the counter-claim.

The legal bill comes in addition to the £25,000 Ms Thompson was ordered to pay Mr James in personal damages in the wake of the hearing.

A spokesman for the county council said: “We very much welcome this decision.

“It was right and proper that the council supported this action, where it emerged that Mrs Thompson had engaged in an unlawful campaign of harassment, defamation and intimidation targeted against Mr James and other council officers.

“Mrs Thompson started this action, and it is regrettable that due to this she has caused a huge amount of wasted time and money, and now finds herself in the position of having to pay costs too.”

Mrs Thompson has claimed the legal bill may cost her her home. She has however said that she intends to seek an appeal to the libel ruling at the High Court.