Billions of euros assigned to the European Union's poorer regions were not properly accounted for last year, with some funds earmarked for agriculture ending up in the coffers of golf and riding clubs and railway com-panies, the EU's auditors said yesterday.

In a report that criticised irregularities in the EU budget for the 13th successive year, the European Court of Auditors said at least 12 per cent of the EU's €32.4bn (£22.8bn) regional aid programme, or about €3.9bn, had been incorrectly spent.