TWO directors of a composting company which allowed liquid harmful to human health to seep into the soil at a Ministry of Defence site in Gwent gave evidence at a proceeds of crime hearing (POCA) today.

Jaqueline Powell, 59, of Manor Way, Cardiff, and Jonathan Westwood, 39, of Huntsman Chase , Preston, former directors of Wormtech Ltd , appeared at Cardiff Crown Court for the first day of the POCA hearing.

Wormtech Ltd, a company licensed to compost up to 75,000 tons of food waste at the site in Caerwent, had its Environment Agency (EA) Wales licence suspended in July 2012, after the body became aware of leachate – a liquid containing salmonella and E.coli which is produced from composting waste – leaking from a building.

Giving evidence Powell said she didn’t dispute the fact that she owned 91 shares, Westwood held five shares, his father Eric Westwood held 28 shares, Sheila Roberts held three shares and Martin Gardner held five shares, when put to her by prosecutor Timothy Evans who obtained the figures from the company’s house online.

She said as far as she was aware no one has sold any shares since the company went into liquidation.

She said Westwood was unhappy with the large amount of shareholders and wanted to buy some but could not afford to so said she bought some shares on his behalf, but said Westwood did not give her the money for them.

Westwood disputed the agreement and said he did not have the money to buy the shares.

Powell agreed that Westwood and herself made the fundamental decisions about the direction and decision of the company.

Westwood said he was present in discussions involving shareholding but said his interest was relating specifically to the shares of his father Eric Westwood.

Last year, Newport Crown Court heard from prosecutor Timothy Evans that despite environmental consultants being brought in, and some remedial work being done, it did not solve the problem, leaving the EA, now called Natural Resources Wales, with a £40,000 bill to tank away remaining leachate and clean-up costs of £600,000 to date, which is expected to top £1.6 million.

Jacqueline Powell, the primary director of Wormtech Ltd, was found guilty in January last year of one count of consenting to or conniving as a director of a company of treating, keeping or disposing of controlled waste on land in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment or harm to human health.

Powell was also convicted of two counts of consenting to or conniving as a director of a company of failing to comply with a condition of an environmental permit.

She was given three concurrent sentences of 12 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, by Judge Neil Bidder, and must complete 250 hours’ unpaid work.

She was disqualified from forming or managing a company for five years.

Fellow former director Jonathan Westwood, 38, of Wordsworth Road, Cardiff, who previously admitted three counts of failing to comply with an environmental permit, was described by his defence counsel, Peter Rouch, QC, as having been recruited to the company primarily for sales and recycling cardboard.

Westwood, who left the company as a director in August 2012, was given three concurrent sentences of 32 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and must complete 150 hours’ unpaid work.

He was disqualified from forming or managing a company for three years.

Proceeding.