What's your MP doing this summer?

The public are asked to keep their eyes peeled for off-duty MPs

Politicians begin their 82-day summer recess on Tuesday, but what do they do in that time?

Campaign group 38 Degrees want the public to send in reports of MPs at work and at play.

The sightings will be posted online as part of a project charting what politicians do in the summer recess.

MPs return to the House of Commons on October 12. Many insist they devote much of the break - which includes 57 working days - to constituency matters.

The group, a new non-profit organisation with no political affiliations, has also asked politicians directly for a breakdown of their activities for its MP Holiday Watch.

This is grubbing around for the dregs MP Stephen Pound

They have been asked how much time they spend running surgeries, carrying out constituency work, undertaking second jobs, and taking holidays.

And members of 38 Degrees are asked to send in photographs of MPs they spot during the 12-week recess.

"We saw with MP expenses that you can't simply leave MPs necessarily to do the right thing behind closed doors," said David Babbs, 38 Degrees executive director.

"What we're really asking MPs to do is to simply account for that time, to make sure that they're using that time to work for their constituents - not to either have an excessively long holiday or to work at a second job to make money for themselves."

Stephen Pound, Labour MP for Ealing North, told BBC Breakfast News that it amounted to snooping.

We saw with MP expenses that you can't simply leave MPs necessarily to do the right thing behind closed doors David Babbs, of 38 Degrees

"Encouraging people to take sneaking photos of MPs with their feet up, well, I'm sorry, we've done all that. MPs have really taken the hit and deservedly so. This is grubbing around for the dregs."

He added that an MP's work didn't stop during the summer recess.

"I have got 80,000 constituents. I take two weeks holiday a year, a week in the summer and a week at Christmas. There's no way I could take more than that. How would any of those 80,000 people feel if they ring up the office and they say 'your MP's not there'?"

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is reported to be planning a family holiday in the Lake District, while leader of the opposition David Cameron is said to be spending part of the summer break visiting Greece and Brittany.

Mr Cameron said while the number of days Parliament sat each year was broadly in line with other countries, the length of the summer recess was unusual.

"This very long summer break brings Parliament into disrepute."