A mum-of-two has been sacked from her job as a prison chef after allegations of an affair with a prisoner.

Wendy Snowdon, from Lodsworth near Petworth, was banned from Ford Prison near Arundel after reports of “inappropriate behaviour”. She left amid rumours of an affair with a prisoner who was coming to the end of a 16-year prison sentence.

Ms Snowdon has now been sacked by the college that employed her to teach cooking to inmates and cook for officers.

She had attended a tournament organised by Clymping Football Club last month at which the prison had loaned inmates to help out, including her alleged lover.

One woman who attended the event told The Argus: “There was lots of talk about what was going on between them because they were looking extremely close. He told me he was in the last 18- month stretch of a 16-year sentence. He said he had started in Strangeways so it was obviously for something serious.

“The prison have had a lot of bad publicity over the riot and they had agreed to help out as a way of showing they were doing something positive.”

Ms Snowdon was barred from the prison after the allegations came to light and later lost her job with Manchester College, which works with prisons across the country.

A spokesman for the Prison Service confirmed a member of outside education staff had been excluded from the prison after allegations of inappropriate behaviour. She said: “This is a matter for Manchester College.”

A spokeswoman for the college confirmed that the member of staff in question no longer worked there.

On New Year’s Eve a riot at Ford caused millions of pounds wor th of damage as prisoners went on a drunken rampage. Seven men are due to appear in court next month charged with arson and criminal damage.