A WASTE operator has denied responsibility for a fly invasion at South Pembs hospital.

Sundorne Products (Llanidloes) Ltd, of Henfaes Lane, Welshpool, started its trial, involving ten charges brought by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Monday, November 4.

The company previously entered not guilty pleas to all offences, alleged to have taken place at Unit 41, The Dockyard, Pembroke Dock, between July 2015 and September 2017.

The court heard the company started operating at Unit 41 after being granted an environmental permit in 2015, but this has since been transferred back to Pembrokeshire County Council.

It is alleged that controlled waste was wrapped in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health and sufficient measures were not taken to prevent odour emanating outside the site.

The company is accused of failing to comply with environmental permit conditions by not taking adequate measures to prevent flies, likely to cause pollution, hazard or annoyance.

The facility also faces a charge of failing to comply with enforcement notices and an environmental permitting notice and storing waste otherwise than in accordance with requirements.

Justin Amos, prosecuting on behalf of NRW, said complaints were received about odours and an infestation of flies at South Pembs Hospital within about a month of operations starting at Unit 41.

Mr Amos said house-hold waste was sorted inside the building before being baled and stacked outside to await transportation.

“Over the course of the summer 2015 complaints continued to be received by NRW regarding odour and flies.”

Mr Amos added: “Between July and October 2015 on four occasions an officer substantiated odours coming from the site. It was observed that the doors to the building where the waste was processed were open.”

“The provisions of the management systems were not being followed at the time.”

An inspection of the facility found tears and ‘significant sizeable holes’ in the plastic film covering the bales of waste, which had been left unrepaired.

The court heard a large number of flies were recorded at the Sunderland Ward and hospital kitchen, posing a risk to the health of patients.

“The hospital was impacted by a large volume of flies that it had not had to deal with before 2015.”

Mr Amos said: “Between July and August 2016 there is an allegation that waste was kept at Unit 41 in a manner that could cause harm to the environment and human health.”

Mr Amos added a visit to the site in March 2017 found provisions of the pest and odour management plan were not being adhered to.

“A suspension notice was served suspending external storage of waste at Unit 41. The prosecution say it is significant that since that time this problem has disappeared.”

Natural Resources Wales officer Leanne Bacon-Weekes gave evidence at Monday’s hearing.

She told the court the doors were seen to be open on an occasion when odours were detected outside the site boundary

“They had failed to follow mitigation measures and left the doors open.”

The trial continues and is expected to last five days. Sundorne Products maintains its not guilty pleas to all charges.