TRUSTEES of a Merseyside drugs charity embroiled in a £2m accounts scandal today insisted nobody had benefited from its financial crisis.

The Lighthouse Project board spoke candidly for the first time about the organisation’s sudden downfall.

They confirmed £1.5m was owed to Her Majesty Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and overall debts could run well over £2m.

And they said they were still unsure exactly how the charity’s accounts ended up in such disarray.

It comes as trustees accused employees of “trespassing” in the organisation’s buildings on Fleet Street, city centre, and Blenheim Street, Vauxhall, on Thursday.

They have alleged computers were “unlawfully” accessed and a number of files apparently deleted.

A spokesman for the trustees said: “Our legal obligation requires us to retain responsibility for our data and accessing it in this way is unlawful.”

The board suspended chief executive Diane Bird amid allegations of financial irregularities, and the Sefton woman is now effectively redundant.

Speaking yesterday, she denied any wrongdoing, and said she became aware they owed Pay as You Earn payments to HMRC at the same time as the trustees had learned of it.

A statement released by the trustees said: “We do not pretend to have got to the bottom of what has happened since then but we are not aware of any evidence that any member of staff past or present has benefited personally.