She would sometimes be given blank cheques to be filled in which had already been signed by the authorised person so she could continue with her work if no one was in the office.

She had also asked to be supplied with signed cheques as a pretext and not for any legitimate purpose. The fraud came to light following an internal investigation.

When quizzed she said she had spent the dishonestly obtained cash on holidays, trips to London and gifts for friends and also said she was in some financial trouble and that it had helped to ease the burden.

Mark Jones, defending, claimed that Rawlings had not been the only person who had “dipped her hand into the pot”.

He said it was not a sophisticated scam but it had still taken five years before the company realised what she was doing and that although the sum was quite significant, it only amounted to £9,000 per annum.

Mr Jones said the catalyst for what happened was the breakdown of a relationship with a former partner and that she had spent the cash on her daughters and close friends to make her “feel good”.

He added that CSV Environment continued to provide important resources for the local community.