A former boss of a waste recyling firm accused of environmental offences has gone on trial.

Jacqueline Powell, of Manor Way, Cardiff, was a director of Wormtech Ltd, which recycled food waste for a number of local authorities including Monmouthshire.

The 58-year-old appeared in Cardiff Crown Court last week charged with one count of consenting or conniving as a director of a company in the commission of an offence and three counts of failing to comply with a condition of an environmental permit. She denies all four counts.

Last Wednesday (8th January), the court heard from prosecution witness Kelly Jarman, an environment officer for Environment Agency Wales, now part of Natural Resources Wales.

Miss Jarman, who regulates permits for waste recycling sites, said she started regulating Wormtech in August 2011.

"I was aware of problems there because a site is scored every time there is a breach against its permit," she said.

"Wormtech was in band F – the lowest banding."

Miss Jarman first visited the site on 27th July 2011 with her predecessor Christopher Gardener and said it was the worst site she had been to.

"I was taken aback by the smell on the site, the state of the site and by the lack of any management systems in place," she said.

"When I left the site, inside my car, on my hair and clothes I could still smell the putrid, rotten food smell."

On 12th August 2011, Miss Jarman returned to Wormtech to carry out her first formal inspection of the site.

She found that none of the fans in the composting buildings were working, which meant the temperature of the waste was too high, causing condensation and moisture in the compost.

"I was told that when the site was set-up there was a generator at the back of the building to regulate the temperature but on every visit I made it was not working," said Miss Jarman, who also found evidence of leachate – the black liquid run-off from piles of waste – seeping through walls.

Wormtech's permit required this liquid to be contained and not be allowed to enter the ground.

But Miss Jarman found a drainage channel blocked by food waste, while concrete pads lacked any sort of drainage system.

Judge Neil Bidder QC is overseeing the trial. Adam Vaitilingham QC is representing the defendant and Timothy Evans is representing the Environment Agency, which is bringing the prosecution.

The trial continues.