A COMPANY run by a couple who trousered ￡272million in PPE contracts owes ￡5.5million in unpaid taxes.

       Steve and Kate Dechan have already faced calls to pay back the money after it was claimed many of their masks were unusable.

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       Despite banking ￡272million in PPE contracts, Steve and Kate Dechan owe ￡5.5million in unpaid taxes 5

       The pair have been living in a ￡3.5million, five-bedroom Cotswolds farmhouse

       Their company, Platform-14 Medical, has been hit with a winding-up order in the High Court for not paying corporation tax and National Insurance.

       The pair have been living in a ￡3.5million, five-bedroom farmhouse in the Cotswolds.

       A day after winning the PPE deal in April 2020 they set up a separate business, Tracingboard, which they used to buy the 110-acre estate with cash.

       They moved from a ￡350,000 house in Stroud, Gloucs, where he was a Tory councillor.

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       Platform-14 Medical (P-14) had been running at a six-figure loss, with ￡145 in the bank when they won the contract.

       They were accused of being in a VIP queue for the PPE contracts but Mr Dechan said he just “stuck his neck out”.

       Six months after landing the deal, he donated ￡7,500 to the Tory party.

       He started paying himself about ￡500,000 and his wife ￡150,000 — and bought homes in Cornwall and Exeter.

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       They supplied ￡184million of masks and gowns which went unused.

       Since the contract ended, they have started closing down P-14 while owing millions to the taxman.

       Their High Court winding-up order is due to be heard in front of a judge next month.

       The Sun visited P-14’s offices and warehouse in Stroud.

       They were shut with a rubbish skip outside, while a receptionist said Mr Dechan was abroad and “in and out of meetings”.

       The same receptionist answered the phone for another of his listed companies, Biowave, which has filed only dormant accounts in the UK.

       Two of the couple’s companies, Tracingboard and Pain Medical, appear to be worth more than ￡11million on paper.

       Last night, Mr Dechan texted The Sun to say he was working in the US.

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       He said: “A new tax assessment was submitted to HMRC on June 30 showing a fraction of what was initially put.

       “Most of the business has been sold. And we are all confident all or majority of any tax due will be paid. Tax liability in P-14 is less than ￡200k. That will be shown shortly. Our trading positions, acquisitions are private. Any tax due will be settled.”

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       Steve and Kate supplied ￡184million of masks and gowns Credit: Getty 5

       Millions of pounds worth of their PPE went unused or was unusable Credit: Getty 5

       Platform-14 Medical had been running at a six-figure loss when they won the original PPE contract Credit: Marc Giddings