THIRTY-ONE people could have been exposed to asbestos because a company broke health and safety laws, a court has heard.

Interserve Defence, based at Defence Storage and Distribution Agency (DSDA), Arncott, near Bicester, has admitted three charges of failing to comply with control of asbestos at work regulations between May 2005 and September 2006.

Banbury Magistrates’ Court heard the firm was employed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to maintain the DSDA site. A review of the premises in 2005 showed there was asbestos in six areas in a boiler room, which should have been repaired or removed.

Michael Veal, prosecuting, said: “Access to the boiler room was restricted to maintenance personnel, but the door was not locked.

“You would expect the boiler room to be closed down and access restricted until the asbestos was removed by a specialist company. Staff and contractors worked in the boiler room.

“While they knew asbestos to be present, they believed there was only a problem if works were liable to disturb asbestos; therefore, no respiratory protection was worn.

“There were 13 employees and 18 sub-contractors who had access to the boiler room at the material time.”

Matthew Lee, of the Health and Safety Executive, told the hearing it was contacted by a sub-contractor concerned about asbestos at the site.

Geoffrey Brown, defending, said Interserve initially believed asbestos was looked after by the MoD. He said: “The defendants say while there is a risk, they will invite you to take the view the risk of actual injury is a relatively remote one.

“That’s because work was not done on the asbestos. If you carry out work on asbestos, you disturb fibres and that’s released into the atmosphere and breathed in.”

Chairman of the magistrates, David Charlton, sent the case to Oxford Crown Court for sentencing on July 9.

He said: “There were very serious failings in the system of management on the site in Bicester and high incompetence of those involved.”